Police are celebrating a significant milestone in the use of technology to aid investigations and arrests. Essex Police have reached 200 arrests using live facial recognition (LFR) technology, which helps officers identify wanted individuals and progress ongoing investigations more efficiently. Detective Superintendent Stephen Jennings said: "Reaching 200 arrests represents a significant milestone in our use of live facial recognition. "That’s 200 suspects brought into custody, 200 investigations progressed and, potentially, 200 victims a step closer to getting justice – all thanks to this technology." In August alone, 26 arrests were made through the use of LFR. Arrests have included individuals wanted for violent crimes and theft offences. Det Supt Jennings also praised the public’s support for the force’s use of this technology, inviting residents to engage with officers during deployments to learn more about how it works. Before each deployment, a watchlist is compiled containing images and data of individuals police want to locate. This includes people wanted for offences, those subject to court orders, those who pose a risk to the public, or are vulnerable or at risk of harm. If a person is not on the watchlist, their image is deleted instantly and is not stored or saved on any database. Read more Det Supt Jennings added: "No-one has ever been arrested as a result of a false positive alert during any of our deployments. "This technology is so clever that even if someone doesn’t have their whole face visible, they can still be correctly and accurately identified. "If you’re not on our watchlist then your image is deleted in a fraction of a second." He also highlighted the operational value of LFR, particularly in freeing up officers’ time. He said: "Police officers spend a significant amount of time trying to locate individuals who are either wanted for