Croydon Live Facial Recognition pilot linked to lower crime, says Met Police

The Metropolitan Police say a Croydon pilot of 15 fixed live facial recognition cameras produced 103 arrests and a reported 12% drop in crime in the Fairfield ward; privacy and misidentification concerns have prompted a High Court challenge next week.

Police in south London have run a pilot of fixed live facial recognition (LFR) cameras in Croydon since last October. The system uses 15 fixed cameras on North End high street and was activated 13 times across a three-month trial. The Metropolitan Police say the operation produced 103 arrests and that recorded crime in the Fairfield ward fell by about 12%. Critics have raised privacy and misidentification concerns and legal challenges are due to be heard next week. Known details: - The pilot used 15 fixed cameras attached to lamp posts on two sides of North End high street and was deployed 13 times during the three-month trial. - The Met reports 103 arrests linked to the pilot, and says only one alert was a false match; it also says about one third of arrests involved offences against women and girls. - The force says crime in the Fairfield ward fell by approximately 12% during the trial period. - A High Court challenge is scheduled next week, brought by the director of Big Brother Watch and Shaun Thompson, who was wrongly identified by LFR in February 2024; the Equality and Human Rights Commission has been granted permission to intervene. - Civil rights groups and privacy campaigners have cited risks of invasion of privacy, misidentification and the lack of specific domestic legislation regulating police use of LFR, while some local businesses and residents voiced support for the pilot. - The Met says biometric data of people not wanted by police is immediately and permanently deleted, that the cameras allowed more efficient remote monitoring, and that there are no current plans to expand the pilot. Summary: The Metropolitan Police say the Croydon LFR pilot produced arrests and coincided with a local fall in reported crime, while campaigners and the equality regulator argue the force’s use breaches human rights law. A High Court hearing over the technology is due next week and a 10-week government consultation on LFR is under way. Undetermined at this time.