Police in Croydon have made an arrest every 34 minutes on average using live facial recognition (LFR) cameras during a six-month pilot, according to Metropolitan Police data. The technology, mounted on vans and lamp-posts, scans up to 5,000 faces per hour and checks them against a watchlist of wanted suspects and individuals under court orders.
During a single Thursday morning in Croydon town centre, the system triggered 19 alerts leading to nine arrests for crimes including rape, shoplifting, and breach of court orders. One arrest occurred within 45 minutes of the cameras being switched on. The Met says LFR has helped catch 2,100 people wanted for violence against women and girls since the start of 2024, as well as more than 100 sex offenders.
Critics have called the technology invasive, unregulated, and anti-democratic, citing studies suggesting racial bias. However, the Met says independent testing by the National Physical Laboratory found the system accurate and balanced regarding ethnicity and gender at the threshold used. In 2025, there were just 12 false alerts out of over 3 million faces captured.
Public opinion in Croydon is divided. Some residents support the technology as a crime-fighting tool, while others express concerns about privacy. One passerby, unaware the system was active, said: 'It's not good to have your face scanned.' The Met police commissioner, Mark Rowley, has described LFR as 'gamechanging' for public safety.
