Green councillor shares map of police facial recognition vans, sparking fury

A senior Green party councillor has been branded “shameful” after sharing a map showing the precise location of a Metropolitan Police van equipped with Live Facial Recognition technology. Hau-Yu Tam, cabinet member at Lewisham Council, posted the map on her social media accounts, prompting accusations that she was effectively telling “murderers, rapists and burglars how to avoid police”. The disclosure comes as the Met intensifies its use of the controversial surveillance system, which scans faces against watchlists in public spaces. Tam has not commented on the backlash, but the move has reignited debate over the ethics of facial recognition policing.