Met to extend live facial recognition to West End - Published Britain's biggest police force is expanding its use of static live facial recognition cameras to London's West End and Soho. The devices were used during a six-month pilot in Croydon, south London, between October 2025 and last month, which saw 173 people arrested including a woman who had been wanted for more than 20 years. The static cameras - attached to street furniture and monitored remotely - are now set to be deployed in central London by the end of the year and will be rolled out to other parts of the capital next year. Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said the cameras were "one of the most revolutionary technology advances in policing", but critics called the plans "very troubling". Human rights organisation Liberty said the force should pause its use of the technology until a legal framework is put in place to govern its use. - Police start facial recognition trial at stations - Published11 February - Facial recognition pilot cuts crime, says Met - Published19 January During the Croydon pilot, the Met said more than 470,000 people walked past the camera, generating one false alert for which the person was spoken to by officers and then allowed to leave. Since the start of 2024, the force has arrested more than 2,000 people using live facial recognition cameras. Announcing the expansion of their use, the commissioner said: "Public confidence in this is clear รข around 80% of Londoners support its use. That backing reflects a simple truth: it works. "We have already seen the impact in Croydon, where a six-month pilot delivered over 170 arrests, a reduction in crime and a significant fall in violence against women and girls. "All these results with only one false alert among hundreds