Police officer's photographic memory helps him catch 3,000 suspects
Britain's most prolific 'super-spotter' police officer has caught his 3,000th suspect.
PCSO Andy Pope is dubbed 'Memory Cop' by colleagues for his remarkable ability to remember faces.
He has used his photographic memory to spot the faces of suspects from CCTV images years after he has seen them – even if they try to hide behind face coverings.
Since 2012, he has been able to collar suspects for crimes including robbery, indecent exposure, sexual assault, and attempted murder, based on the tiniest facial details, from moles to the shape of a moustache.
Officially described as a 'super recogniser,' Mr Pope, 47, says his skill is 'impossible to explain' but credits 'instinct' for usually being right.
Some 2 per cent of the population have enhanced facial recognition abilities, according to research by Bournemouth University's Centre for Face Processing Disorders.
Police forces are increasingly using such individuals with exceptional face recognition abilities to aid in criminal investigations.
These officers are deployed in various settings to identify suspects, track offenders, and assist with investigations, particularly in crowded areas or when reviewing CCTV footage.
The Metropolitan Police, Britain's biggest force, has some 140 officers who it has identified can be deployed as 'super recognisers'.
Mr Pope's skill was honoured by the force's chief constable Dave Thompson in 2018 when he passed the 1,000 suspect milestone.
He reached the 2,000-mark in 2020, recognising as many as 17 suspects in one day – and has now passed 3,000.
He also became one of the first 20 people in the world to form part of the Super Recognisers Association in recognition for his eagle-eyed ability to remember faces.
Before starting a shift, Mr Pope will often look through CCTV, video stills and police briefings to keep himself updated on people who are wanted.
He said: 'I've made sure I'm fully updated on the images of people wanted by the force, and it's paid off. I've even been able to spot some in Birmingham city centre while they've been wearing face coverings.
'I have been asked many times how, but it's impossible to explain. It's just an instinct that is the person and thankfully it's proven right.
'The most important thing is being able to assist in catching criminals and keeping the public safe, especially given the year it has been.'
The officer stores more faces year-on-year and averages one recognition every other shift. It has previously led him to identify a male robber he had seen an image of a year before and another by the mole on their face.
Mr Pope added: 'If you look at a picture enough times, there is usually something that sticks in the mind as distinctive.
'Maybe I can't pinpoint what that something is at the time, but when I see the person in the flesh, it triggers that recognition.'
His job for the force's Safer Travel Partnership requires him to travel around the region on public transport, with his skills used to assist other departments.
His frequent travel also increases his chances of encountering suspects whose images he has seen on the police computer.
He said: 'I feel a great sense of pride and satisfaction if I manage to remember a suspect from an image who is then arrested. Hopefully, there will be many more to come in future.
'I am just pleased I can contribute and hopefully there will be many more crime suspects I can spot in future.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Three men guilty of repeatedly raping 12-year-old girl over three days
Three men are facing jail after being found guilty of rape after drugging a young girl and 'using her for their own horrendous gratification' over multiple days. Kevin Horvath, 26, and Ivan Turtak, 38, saw the 12-year-old victim in a supermarket car park in Dover and encouraged her to get in their car on August 11 2024, a Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) spokesperson said. She was then plied with drugs including crystal meth and amphetamine before she was raped and subjected to sexual acts by them and a third man, Ernest Gunar, 27, over a three-day period. The girl managed to escape from her captors after waking up before them on August 13. On Thursday, jurors at Canterbury Crown Court found the three men guilty of a series of sexual offences including rape of a 12-year-old girl after over 14 hours of deliberation. After trial, Gunar was convicted of two counts of rape against a child under 13; Turtak was convicted of one count; and Horvath was convicted of sexual assault. Horvath had already admitted three counts of rape against a child under 13, and one charge of assault by penetration of a child under 13, and Gunar, who is thought to be his cousin, had also admitted one charge of rape. Turtak initially denied rape but did admit taking indecent photos of a child. During the three-day period, whenever they went out in public, the girl was told that she would be killed if she tried to talk to anyone or tried to run away, a CPS spokesperson said. She was found by police on August 13 after escaping from the three men. Her phone had been taken from her and was later found in Horvath's car. Senior Crown Prosecutor Catherine Wear said: 'The three defendants took a 12-year-old from the street, took full advantage of her, plying her with drugs and using her for their own horrendous gratification. 'None of us can underestimate the impact this has had on her. When she was first found by police, she was unable to tell them what she had been put through, as she was so scared, and the details only came out gradually after that. 'Thanks to her courage in detailing what happened to her, despite the obvious distress that caused her, these three dangerous men have now been brought to justice for the appalling and callous crimes they committed against her. 'We hope these verdicts bring some small comfort to her as she starts to rebuild her life.' Horvath and Turtak, of Dover, along with Gunar, of Folkestone, will be sentenced on September 12.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Cops hunt perv who tried to kiss woman's feet in Manhattan subway station
Police released photos Friday evening of a man wanted for public lewdness after trying to kiss a woman's feet without her consent and performing a 'lewd act' in front of her at a subway station in downtown Manhattan, cops said. The 30-year-old straphanger had just exited an eastbound L train at the 14th St.-Sixth Ave. subway station in Manhattan when the unidentified man, who had also just gotten off the same train, tried to strike up a conversation with her while she was waiting for another train in the station around 1 a.m. Wednesday, according to police. When she rebuffed him, he tried to kiss her feet and 'performed a lewd act' in front of her, before hopping on a westbound L train to parts unknown. The man, who had a light complexion, was last seen wearing a burgundy sweatsuit and tan work boots, according to police. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Rippling spy says men have been following him, and his wife is afraid
If becoming a spy sounds like an exciting way to live like a le Carré character, let this newest affidavit from confessed Rippling spy Keith O'Brien serve as a warning. On Friday, an Irish judge granted O'Brien a restraining order against several men who have not yet been identified, according to the court order seen by TechCrunch. O'Brien testified that multiple men — two in a gray Skoda Superb on one occasion, and more often, a short-haired, heavy-set man in a black SUV, sometimes accompanied by a large dog — had repeatedly followed his car and watched his home. O'Brien's story has captured the imagination of the tech industry after his colorful confession in April, in which he alleged that he was a spy for Deel. He said he was paid €5,000 a month to steal Rippling's internal data on everything from products to customers. Rippling caught him by setting up a honeypot Slack channel. On the day he was caught, O'Brien pretended to flush his phone down the corporate toilet and later smashed it, dropping pieces down the drain at his mother-in-law's house, according to his affidavit. Now he's the star witness for Rippling in its lawsuit against Deel. Rippling is even picking up the tab for his legal and related expenses, its lawyers testified. Deel is also countersuing Rippling, claiming it was spied on too, by a Rippling employee impersonating a customer. The two HR tech companies have been bitter rivals for years after Deel — once a Rippling customer — began offering competing products. In the latest part of the saga, O'Brien testified that he tried to lose the black SUV following his car by making sudden turns and taking roundabout ways to get home, only to see it reappear in his rearview mirror. He hired a security consulting company and feared that someone was placing tracking devices on his car. O'Brien claims all of these incidents have created 'emotional and psychological' damage for himself and his wife. 'We have been experiencing anxiety at home and in public. It has affected our sleep and our concentration,' O'Brien said in his latest affidavit. They are fearful for the safety of their four children. He and his lawyer speculated that this was intended as harassment related to his role as star witness. However, O'Brien's lawyer also admitted in court that they had no evidence tying the men to Deel. Deel also denied knowing anything about the man in the black SUV. According to the Irish publication Business Post, when granting the injunction, the judge apparently said, 'As if they are in a 1970s cops and robbers' TV show. Whatever happens in the dueling court cases, O'Brien has made himself the rope in a bitter tug of war between these two well-funded HR startups. And from what he says in his testimony, it sounds painful. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
