Met Police arrests more than 170 people using facial recognition cameras including woman wanted for more than 20 years Polling found over half of Britons said they would feel safer if the vans were deployed on their local high street Don't Miss Most Read Over 170 people have been arrested as part of a trial into facial recognition cameras in south London, including a woman who was wanted for over two decades. In total 173 suspects were arrested for crimes including kidnap, rape and serious sexual assault during the pilot in Croydon, during which static cameras rather than vans were used for the first time. The Metropolitan Police said crime in the area reduced by 10.5 per cent during the trial, which took place between October 2025 and March 2026, including a 21 per cent reduction in violence against women and girls. The static cameras, placed on Croydon High Street, were used in 24 operations, with arrests including a 36-year-old woman who was wanted for failing to appear at court for an assault in 2004. A 31-year-old man who was wanted for voyeurism for more than six months was also arrested. Meanwhile, a 41-year-old man who was wanted in connection with a rape in November in Croydon. National and Met lead for live facial recognition Lindsey Chiswick 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." The facial recognition camera has been deployed in Croydon (file pic) |PA She continued: "This technology is helping us find people wanted by the courts, identify serious offenders quickly and focus our resources where they make the biggest impact, all with