Hooliganism: the case for biometrics

Ronald Hack (left), Logica’s principal consultant for biometrics and advanced security solutions, discusses the potential of biometric technology for countering football violence

Football hooliganism is damaging. It affects people’s enjoyment of the sport and exacts high costs, whether measured in police resources, or damage to property and people. It also has the potential to impact on club revenues and reduce the number of matchday spectators.

A range of methods is deployed to counter football hooliganism, but many have associated issues. Most, for example, require additional investment, such as more physical barriers, or greater police resources. For popular games attended by large crowds, such measures can result in extended process times, eg, to enter and to leave the stadium.

Although football crowds can be large, the number of troublemakers is generally quite low. The challenge for the police is to know where hooligans are, to follow them and act before trouble occurs, which can be time-consuming.

There are several alternative solutions using biometrics that can help to reduce hooliganism. The technology is potentially one of many tools used by law enforcement agencies, but it is not a solution in its own right.

Access control
Biometric technology can verify the identity of ‘trusted’ visitors, for instance, bona-fide fans holding a club membership card, whose biometric data can be stored either in a database or smart card.

It is also possible to use a ‘blacklist’ system to prohibit access to stadia or public transport systems. At any point of entry, every visitor is matched against known hooligan biometric data and if there is a positive match, that individual can be barred.

Duty reporting
Another approach is ‘duty reporting’. During a game, banned hooligans may be required to report to police to prove they are not in the vicinity of a stadium. This can be done by mobile phone, using biometric verification technology. Qualities unique to each individual’s voice provide the identification and the mobile phone confirms their location.

Inside the stadium
During the match, crowds can be checked for barred individuals. Using high-resolution video surveillance cameras, live video images are matched against a database of known hooligans.

Whether used inside a stadium or not, biometric solutions have pitfalls. Their successful introduction requires more than just technology implementation. The following aspects, among others, should also be considered:

• the process. What process times are acceptable? How do you handle different types of visitors? There may be a need to adapt and define processes for duty reporting.
• invasion of privacy, or the perception of it, among fans. A biometric solution must be introduced sensitively and communicated fully in order to secure public cooperation and minimise fear. One approach is to explain that biometrics is an automated version of existing processes.
• communications must also stress the advantages for law-abiding supporters of keeping the game safe, attractive and enjoyable to watch.
• judgement. Although the facial recognition technology is automatic, security staff will still also be able to judge the results of facial matches.
• there are also legal aspects to the use of biometrics. For example, different national legal systems take varying stances on whether video images taken in stadia are admissible in court and which organisations may undertake biometric data collection, store or access the video and photo material.

Biometric technology is coming down in price as its use becomes more widespread and the expectation is that security cost savings and preserved revenues will, in future, provide a compelling business case for the technology.

Moreover, the technology is now mature enough to be used extensively and, subject to development and proven pilot implementations, more applications will be found for it. For the time being, it has a promising future in countering hooliganism and delivering significant improvements in security.

Further information on biometrics and advanced security solutions is available from biometrics@Logica.com

Our expertise in Biometrics... Logica is already a strong player in the biometrics marketplace. In 2004, Logica conducted a biometrics pilot study in conjunction with Dutch football club, PSV Eindhoven. It is also in discussion with individual football clubs, soccer and tournament associations and transport operators to investigate how biometrics can reduce the negative impacts of hooliganism.