Rob Carden has been named the new chief constable of Merseyside Police and will take up the post on Monday. He said technology, including facial recognition and redaction tools, could free up officers to spend more time on patrol. He stressed forces must keep pace with rapid technological change and be more agile in sharing information to keep up with social media.

Carden spent most of his policing career with Merseyside before moving to Cumbria Constabulary in 2022, where he was promoted to chief constable. He described changes as inevitable as he builds on the work of predecessor Serena Kennedy and delivers about £31 million of savings over the next four to five years. He also serves as the national police lead for digital data and technology.

He acknowledged public concerns about facial recognition following its use at the Notting Hill Carnival, but said it had helped secure some results in cases described by staff as toe curlers. He stressed that data must be high quality and accessible to many people, and that artificial intelligence is only as good as the data it is fed. He spoke of the need to maintain public trust, focus on neighbourhood policing, and improve call handling and response times. He noted his ties to the region as an Everton season-ticket holder and said he wants Merseyside to be the best force in the country.