London’s Metropolitan Police (the Met) has arrested more than 1,000 wanted criminals since the start of 2024 through the deployment of live facial recognition (LFR) technologies.

The police force said it had apprehended “paedophiles, rapists and violent robbers” who may have escaped justice without the use of LFR. The cameras capture live footage of people passing by and compare their faces against a bespoke watchlist of wanted offenders; if a match is detected, the system generates an alert. An officer then reviews the match and decides if they wish to speak with the person.

The Met is one of the UK’s largest adopters of LFR tech, along with South Wales Police. Lindsey Chiswick, who leads the use of LFR nationally, said it would be “madness” not to deploy it at a time when local funds are tight.

It is increasingly being adopted in other settings around the UK, such as at airport border controls and on high streets to prevent shoplifting. However, it has its detractors, including privacy advocates and politicians concerned that the broad proliferation of surveillance technology has serious implications for human rights.

In late 2023, a cross-party group of MPs said that expanded use of the technology lacked sufficient legal basis and a democratic mandate after the policing minister at the time, Chris Philp, proposed giving police access to more than 45 million images stored in the passport photos database to optimise LFR.

The Met said that of the more than 1,000 people arrested so far, 773 have been charged or cautioned.

“This milestone of 1,000 arrests is a demonstration of how cutting-edge technology can make London safer by removing dangerous offenders from our streets,” said Chiswick.

“Live Facial Recognition is a powerful tool, which is helping us deliver justice for victims, including those who have been subjected to horrendous offences, such as rape and serious assault.

“It is not only saving our officers’ valuable time but delivering faster, more accurate results to catch criminals – helping us be more efficient than ever before.”

Each deployment is made up of an LFR team, as well as neighbourhood officers in the vicinity, who talk to those identified and make any necessary arrests. The interventions don’t always result in arrest, as the tool is often used to stop people flagged from the watchlist who have conditions imposed by the courts. These might include registered sex offenders and those convicted of stalking, among others.