82 suspects caught out by Live Facial Recognition cameras in West Yorkshire Faces that match a biometric watchlist will create an alert More than 80 suspected criminals have been caught on facial recognition cameras in West Yorkshire. Live Facial Recognition (LFR) cameras have caught out 82 people since they were first deployed in the region in November 2025. LFR compares live camera images against a watchlist of wanted individuals and suspects. Any alerts generated by the system are reviewed by trained officers before action is taken. Faces that match a biometrics watchlist will create an alert, while data relating to all other faces scanned by the system will be deleted in a matter of seconds. Arrests made in recent weeks have included people wanted for serious domestic offences as well as retail crime. The cameras have also helped officers find missing and vulnerable people during their 10 months of operation and resulted in officers checking 95 people subject to Sexual Harm Prevention Orders. Two LFR vans have recently been deployed in Wakefield. Chief Superintendent Stuart Bainbridge, District Commander of Wakefield Police, said: “Live Facial Recognition is an incredibly useful tool and this latest deployment in Wakefield has assisted our officers in keeping communities safe. The cameras are there to pick out persons already logged on police systems as wanted by the courts, wanted for arrest or as posing a risk to the public. "Images of ordinary members of the public who walk by them are deleted almost instantly. The technology itself is tried and tested, and the number of wanted criminals it has now helped catch really demonstrates its effectiveness.” Cllr John Thomas, Deputy Leader of Wakefield Council, said: “Like many residents I’ve had concerns about the use of Live Facial Recognition in Wakefield. People should never be subject to