Profiling the Facial Comparison Practitioner in Australia

This report details the performance of professional and expert facial comparison practitioners working in the Australian policing and national security context. As part of a joint University of Adelaide - Defence Science and Technology Group project, known as the Human Operator Capability Project, a comprehensive survey of 149 facial comparison practitioners within Australian State and Federal Government agencies was conducted in late 2010. The survey collected data in a range of categories including: demographics, training and work history, facial comparison tools and techniques, attitudes to the facial comparison task and use of facial recognition systems. This report outlines the key findings from the survey, including implications for the consideration of participating agencies at the time. An epilogue reflects on what has changed in the time since the survey was conducted.