Facial recognition cameras lead to suspect arrest every 90 minutes in crime crackdown In January, the government unveiled plans to expand the programme nationwide Don't Miss Most Read Latest Live facial recognition cameras scanning the streets of England and Wales led to an arrest roughly every 90 minutes during deployments last year, according to data obtained through freedom of information requests. Across 369 separate operations carried out by 14 of the country's 45 territorial police forces, approximately 9.25 million faces were checked against watchlists, resulting in 1,317 people being taken into custody. Around 450 of those detained were suspected of violent offences. The Metropolitan Police accounted for the majority, deploying the technology 231 times, scanning 4.2 million faces and arresting 1,133 individuals. In January, the government unveiled plans to expand the programme nationwide, quintupling the fleet of surveillance vans from 10 to 50. The technology has proved instrumental in tracking down suspects who might otherwise have evaded justice. Dejean South, 25, avoided capture for over a year following a break-in in January 2024 before facial recognition cameras picked him out in Woolwich in March last year. He subsequently received a suspended 22-month sentence at the Old Bailey for aggravated burglary and bail breaches. In another case, Oghenekaro Adeda, 28, was spotted by a camera in Lewisham in July last year while subject to a sexual harm prevention order for harassment and stalking. Officers found he had been concealing his browsing history using a private application, breaching the order's terms. Live facial recognition cameras scanning the streets of England and Wales led to an arrest roughly every 90 minutes | PAHe is currently serving 20 months. At last year's Notting Hill Carnival, the cameras contributed to 61 arrests, one involving a man accused of stabbing a victim five times with a