In a groundbreaking move, the Metropolitan Police’s trial of Live Facial Recognition (LFR) technology in Croydon has yielded impressive results, leading to a significant drop in robbery and shoplifting incidents, as well as over 100 arrests. The pilot scheme, which launched last October, has seen fixed cameras mounted on street furniture, replacing the use of mobile vans.
Sergeant Kevin Brown of the Met’s LFR team reported that the cameras are only activated when officers are deployed, which has occurred 13 times during the three-month trial. Any biometric data collected from members of the public not wanted by the police is immediately and permanently deleted, ensuring privacy is protected.
Superintendent Luke Dillon noted that overall crime figures in the Fairfield ward, where the pilot has been implemented, fell by 12%. “We’re seeing reductions in almost all crime types, certainly in shoplifting and robbery,” he said. Among the arrests made were a 36-year-old woman wanted since 2004 for suspected assault, a 27-year-old man wanted for kidnapping, and a 37-year-old registered sex offender in breach of a sexual harm prevention order.
The fixed camera setup has proven to be more efficient than the mobile vans, as the camera feeds can be monitored remotely, leading to arrests being made on average once every 34 minutes. However, the Met has stated that there are no current plans to expand the pilot to other sites in London.
While the Met has described LFR as a “game-changing” tool in crime fighting, civil rights groups and privacy campaigners have consistently opposed the technology, arguing that it invades people’s privacy and carries an unacceptable risk of misidentification. Next week, these concerns will be the focus of a High Court challenge by the director of Big Brother Watch and 39-year-old Shaun Thompson, who was wrongly identified by LFR and stopped by police outside London Bridge Tube station.
The UK’s equality regulator, the Equality and Human Rights Commission, has been granted permission to intervene in the judicial review, stating that the Met’s current use of the technology breaches human rights law. The Met, however, has said it is confident that the use of LFR is lawful and proportionate.
Despite the concerns, some residents in Croydon have expressed support for the pilot scheme. Jose Joseph, chair of the Croydon Business Association, has called for the scheme to be expanded locally, arguing that it helps create a safer environment for businesses, residents, women, and children. Several other locals echoed this sentiment, stating that the cameras made them feel safer, as long as appropriate safeguards are in place.
As the government’s 10-week consultation on the use of LFR continues, the debate around the balance between public safety and individual privacy is set to intensify. The outcome of the High Court challenge will be closely watched, as it could have far-reaching implications for the future of facial recognition technology in the UK.