Live Facial Recognition technology leads to two arrests for breaches of Sexual Harm Prevention Orders in Stockport By Livia Gregor 14th Aug 2026 Greater Manchester Police were able to make two arrests for breaches of Sexual Harm Prevention Orders in Stockport thanks to Live Facial Recognition (LFR) equipment. The equipment scans people's faces with alerts triggered for pre-registered reasons – such as when people are wanted, missing or subject to an order. On Wednesday (12 August), officers were deployed to Stockport town centre with LFR as part of the local neighbourhood team's wider work addressing problems in the area. Greater Manchester Police said: "Specific operations – including the ongoing ASB-smashing Operation Rimini – has resulted in dozens of arrests and countless charges over the last year, while vital work with partners has helped address the core roots of many problems." During the four hour deployment, thousands of faces were scanned, with four triggering alerts. Images of faces that do not trigger alerts are deleted almost instantly. All future deployments can be viewed on the Greater Manchester Police website. The four alerts triggered on Wednesday were all for people with Sexual Harm Prevention Orders in place – with two men – aged 38 and 41– subsequently being arrested on suspicion of breaching the conditions of their respective order. LFR has been used at events across Manchester from concerts to football matches and is utilised in town centres to create an extra layer of security for local people. Inspector Jason Holmwood, from our Stockport district, said: "Our Live Facial Recognition deployment in Stockport on 12 August delivered positive results, with two arrests made and a significant amount of constructive engagement with members of the public. "The technology is a valuable tool that helps us locate wanted individuals and protect our communities, while