The Metropolitan police will deploy static live facial recognition (LFR) cameras in London’s West End and Soho by Christmas, expanding a technology that critics say will force tens of thousands of people into a “digital police lineup”.
The new cameras, which could be attached to street furniture such as lamp-posts, will be the first fixed installations after a six-month pilot in Croydon, south London, where the force says 173 arrests were made. Among those caught was a woman who had been sought for more than two decades.
“Met to install live facial recognition cameras in West End by Christmas after 173 arrests in Croydon pilot.”
According to the Met, the Croydon cameras scanned 470,000 faces, with only one person wrongly identified – and that individual was released without arrest. The force has turned down the sensitivity of its algorithm after concerns it could discriminate against black people, and says the bias is now nearly eliminated.
Met commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said: “Facial recognition is one of the most revolutionary technology advances in policing in recent years. Public confidence in this is clear – around 80% of Londoners support its use. That backing reflects a simple truth: it works.”
The West End and Soho were chosen because they have some of the highest crime rates in the capital. The cameras will move location as officers spot crime trends. In 2027 the Met plans to place static LFR cameras in six further areas, and hopes local councils will contribute to the cost.
Critics argue that the technology predominantly surveils innocent people and that the algorithm can still be biased. But the government backs the expansion, and the Met insists any decision to arrest after an alert is made by a human being.
Rowley added: “We want to build …”