Offences involving violence against women and girls fell by a fifth during a Metropolitan Police live facial recognition (LFR) pilot that led to more than 170 arrests. Static LFR cameras were deployed for the first time during a six-month pilot in Croydon, south London, between October 2025 and March 2026. Scotland Yard said crime in the area fell by 10.5 per cent compared with the same period last year. The biggest reduction was seen in violence against women and girls (Vawg) offences, which were down 21 per cent. The cameras, which are mounted to existing infrastructure such as lampposts instead of mobile vans, were used as part of 24 separate operations and officers made 173 arrests — the equivalent of one arrest every 35 minutes. Among those arrested were a 41-year-old man wanted on suspicion of rape and a 36-year-old woman who has been wanted for 20 years after failing to appear at court for an assault in 2004. Other arrests included individuals wanted for kidnap and serious sexual assault. Lindsey Chiswick, the national and Met lead for live facial recognition, said: “These results show why live facial recognition is such a powerful tool when it’s used carefully, openly and in the right places. Crime in this area is down by more than 10 per cent, and the public can see the difference.” In one case during the pilot, static cameras alerted officers to Nilton Darame, 25, who was found to be in breach of tag conditions relating to an intentional strangulation and two counts of assault on an emergency worker. He was arrested in October and sentenced at Croydon crown court to 18 months in prison in January. Body-worn camera footage published by the Met on Wednesday showed a man attempting to flee officers after being stopped for failing