A pilot of live facial recognition technology in south London has helped cut crime and led to more than 100 arrests, according to the Metropolitan Police, as the force prepares to defend its use of the technology in the High Court.
The three-month trial in Croydon, which began in October, marked the first time the Met has deployed fixed live facial recognition (LFR) cameras mounted on street furniture rather than using mobile vans. Fifteen cameras were installed along two sections of North End, one of the borough’s busiest shopping streets.
The Met said the system has been deployed on 13 occasions during the pilot, with cameras only switched on when officers are present. During that period, 103 arrests were made, with police claiming only one false alert, which did not result in an arrest.
According to the force, around a third of those arrests were linked to offences against women and girls, including sexual assault and strangulation. Other arrests included individuals wanted for kidnap, breach of sexual harm prevention orders, and long-outstanding assault cases.
Superintendent Luke Dillon said overall crime in the Fairfield ward fell by 12 per cent during the pilot period, with notable reductions in shoplifting and robbery. He added that the fixed camera setup allowed officers to operate more efficiently, with arrests made on average every 34 minutes during deployments.
The technology works by mapping facial features and comparing them against police watchlists. The Met said biometric data relating to members of the public who are not wanted by police is immediately deleted.
However, the trial comes amid growing scrutiny of police use of facial recognition. Next week, the force faces a High Court challenge over its deployment of LFR after a man was wrongly identified and stopped near London Bridge last year. Civil liberties campaigners argue the technology poses serious risks to privacy and lacks a clear legislative framework.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission, which has been granted permission to intervene in the case, has said the Met’s current use of LFR breaches human rights law. The force has said it is confident the technology is being used lawfully and proportionately, and insists it has tested its algorithms for bias.
Despite describing LFR as a “game-changing” crime-fighting tool, the Met said there are currently no plans to expand the fixed-camera pilot beyond Croydon.
Tony Kounnis, chief executive of Face Int UK & Europe, said the results highlighted the potential of facial recognition when deployed responsibly.
“This is a strong endorsement of what facial recognition technology can deliver as accuracy improves,” he said. “But it is essential that oversight, transparency and data protection remain central. Without that, there is a real risk of eroding public trust, regardless of the benefits.”
