South Australian Police will begin using facial recognition software to search video footage and compare faces against offender databases in a bid to identify suspects from late October.

The State Government said the technology would become part of the police toolkit after announcing a $780,000 contract to NEC Australia for the software.

The Northern Territory and other federal agency are currently using the technology.

The Government said the technology would enhance its existing CCTV network by extracting faces in real time and matching them against a watch list.

The technology will also be used in missing person cases.

Police Minister Peter Malinauskas said it was a tool police needed in order to protect the community.

"The world we live in is changing, and with that comes a need to change the way we police," Mr Malinauskas said.

"Technology has an increasingly vital role in policing, and as technology evolves into the future, so too will the way out police force operates."