Met Police to Double Live Facial Recognition in London

Published Date : 7/31/2025 

The Metropolitan Police (The Met) in London is set to double its use of live facial recognition technology, deploying it up to 10 times a week. This move is part of a broader strategy to boost local neighborhood teams and enhance high-visibility policing in response to rising crime rates and budget constraints. 

The Metropolitan Police (The Met) in London is ramping up its use of live facial recognition technology, doubling the number of deployments to 10 times a week. This intensification is part of a comprehensive strategy to boost local neighborhood teams, enhance partnership working, and put high-visibility policing at the heart of fighting crime and rebuilding trust.

Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has announced that The Met is getting ‘smaller but more capable,’ with a significant part of this capability coming from the increased use of live facial recognition (LFR). Currently, LFR is used four times a week across two days, but this will increase to up to five days a week, delivering up to 10 deployments a week across London to drive up arrests of wanted offenders.

The Met has already made 1,000 arrests using live facial recognition, with 773 of these leading to charges or cautions. Commissioner Rowley emphasizes that the force is only interested in using LFR to find serious offenders, such as wanted offenders and registered sex offenders. He states, “We routinely put it out there and capture multiple serious offenders in one go, many of whom have committed serious offenses against women or children, or people who are wanted for armed robbery.”

Retailers in London’s West End have been raising concerns over rising crime rates, particularly shoplifting, which has seen over 500,000 cases in 2024. Other significant issues include phone snatching and knife crime. A new report shows that 20 streets around Oxford Circus and Regent Street accounted for one in every 15 knife attacks between 2021 and 2024.

Commissioner Rowley also notes an increase in protests related to issues such as Israel and Palestine and climate change. He acknowledges that while the laws are permissive and encouraging of protests, a proportion of these protests have led to crime and offenses.

Despite the Met’s efforts to enhance public safety, the doubling of live facial recognition usage is not sitting well with some critics. Croydon, which recorded 10,000 violent crimes in a 12-month period in 2024, is set to receive the UK’s first permanent live facial recognition deployment. Cameras will be attached to lampposts or buildings in pedestrian areas.

Big Brother Watch, a privacy advocacy group, has raised concerns that the police are ‘off the leash’ in using live facial recognition technology. They highlight the lack of existing legislation to cover the use of this controversial biometric technology. Police forces scanned nearly 4.7 million faces with live facial recognition last year, more than double the number scanned in 2023.

The Home Office is reportedly working with the police on a new national facial recognition system, known as the ‘strategic facial matcher,’ intended to search databases including custody images and immigration records. This system has further fueled concerns about privacy and the potential for misuse of biometric data.

In summary, while the Metropolitan Police’s increased use of live facial recognition aims to address rising crime rates and enhance public safety, it has also sparked significant debate over privacy and the responsible use of biometric technology. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS): 

Q: What is the Metropolitan Police's new strategy for using live facial recognition?

A: The Metropolitan Police (The Met) plans to double the use of live facial recognition (LFR), deploying it up to 10 times a week. This is part of a broader strategy to boost local neighborhood teams and enhance high-visibility policing.

Q: How many arrests has the Metropolitan Police made using live facial recognition?

A: The Metropolitan Police has made 1,000 arrests using live facial recognition, with 773 leading to charges or cautions.

Q: What are the main concerns raised by critics about the increased use of live facial recognition?

A: Critics are concerned about the lack of existing legislation to cover the use of live facial recognition technology and the potential for privacy violations and misuse of biometric data.

Q: Which area in London is set to get the UK’s first permanent live facial recognition deployment?

A: Croydon, which recorded 10,000 violent crimes in a 12-month period in 2024, is set to receive the UK’s first permanent live facial recognition deployment.

Q: What is the ‘strategic facial matcher’ and what is its purpose?

A: The ‘strategic facial matcher’ is a new national facial recognition system being developed by the Home Office and the police. It is intended to search databases including custody images and immigration records. 

More Related Topics :