CHALLENGES, ISSUES, AND SOLUTIONS IN PREDICTIVE POLICING AND FACIAL RECOGNITION TECHNOLOGY

Modern law enforcement is shifting from reactive tracking to pre-emptive surveillance through Predictive Policing and Facial Recognition Technology (FRT). This paper explores the deep operational, ethical, and legal challenges these technologies pose within the Indian digital landscape. While promoted as tools for efficiency, their actual deployment—such as during the 2020 Delhi riots—reveals severe threats to civil liberties, automated bias against marginalized communities, and a lack of legislative oversight. By analyzing Indian constitutional benchmarks like Puttaswamy (2017) alongside global precedents like Loomis (USA) and Bridges (UK), this study evaluates how unchecked biometric data collection violates Articles 14, 19, and 21 of the Constitution. The paper exposes the "black box" nature of these algorithms, which hide systemic biases under proprietary secrets. Ultimately, it argues that India must abandon unregulated surveillance under general police powers and establish a strict, statutory framework that enforces transparency, algorithmic auditing, and human rights safeguards.