MET POLICE TO EXPAND FACIAL RECOGNITION TO WEST END AND SOHO

The Metropolitan Police has announced plans to deploy static live facial recognition cameras across London's West End and Soho by the end of the year. The expansion follows a six-month pilot programme conducted in Croydon between October 2025 and May 2026. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley described facial recognition as "one of the most revolutionary technology advances in policing in recent years." The force stated that the Croydon trial resulted in 173 arrests, including the apprehension of a woman wanted for over two decades.

Sir Mark Rowley claimed that approximately 80 per cent of Londoners support the use of facial recognition technology. He attributed one false alert to occur among hundreds of thousands of people scanned during the pilot. The Commissioner stated that the Croydon deployment delivered a reduction in recorded crime and a significant fall in violence against women and girls. Since the beginning of 2024, the Metropolitan Police recorded more than 2,000 arrests using live facial recognition cameras across the capital. Static cameras are attached to street furniture and monitored remotely by officers.

The Metropolitan Police indicated that further rollout to additional areas of London is planned for next year. Sir Mark Rowley stated that the technology "supports officers – not replacing them", enabling them to identify wanted criminals and registered sex offenders. He warned that "criminals are not standing still" and that policing must keep pace with technological change. The deployment to high-footfall areas in central London represents the force's strategy to expand the use of the surveillance technology across the capital.