- A six-month live facial recognition trial conducted in Croydon, south London, resulted in 173 arrests for serious offences, including kidnapping, rape, and sexual assault, utilising static cameras for the first time.
- The pilot scheme, which ran from October 2025 to March 2026, reported a 10.5% reduction in local crime and a 21 per cent decrease in violence against women and girls in the area.
- Among the 24 operations on Croydon High Street, notable arrests included a 36-year-old woman wanted for a 2004 assault, a 31-year-old man sought for voyeurism, and a 41-year-old man wanted for a rape in November.
- Lindsey Chiswick, the national and Met lead for live facial recognition, praised the technology as a 'powerful tool' for finding wanted individuals and reducing crime, confirming that static cameras will continue to be deployed in Croydon.
- A High Court challenge against the Metropolitan Police's use of live facial recognition, spearheaded by youth worker Shaun Thompson and campaign group Big Brother Watch, was dismissed last month, with judges ruling the policy lawful and not in breach of human rights.
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