MPS claims crime fall during Croydon LFR pilot

The pilot, which ran between October 2025 and March 2026, was the first time the force used static LFR cameras mounted on existing street infrastructure such as lampposts rather than deploying the technology from specialist police vans.

According to the MPS, officers carried out 24 operations during the trial period, making what the force described as “one arrest every 35 minutes”. Those arrested included suspects wanted for rape, sexual offences and breaches of court-imposed conditions.

The force said violence against women and girls offences in the area fell by 21 per cent during the same period compared with the previous year, although it did not provide evidence directly linking the reduction to the use of facial recognition technology.

Assistant Commissioner Lindsey Chiswick, the MPS lead for live facial recognition, described the technology as “a powerful tool when it’s used carefully, openly and in the right places”.

She said the pilot had helped officers identify wanted offenders quickly while allowing resources to be focused in hotspot areas.

The MPS said more than 470,000 people passed the cameras during the pilot, with one false alert recorded. The individual was briefly stopped before officers confirmed the match was incorrect. The force stressed that nobody had been arrested following a false alert generated by the system.

Live facial recognition remains one of the most controversial technologies currently used in British policing, with civil liberties groups repeatedly raising concerns around privacy, proportionality and the potential impact on innocent members of the public.

Critics have also questioned whether existing legal safeguards and oversight arrangements are sufficient as forces expand operational deployments.

The MPS said watchlists used during deployments were intelligence-led, created less than 24 hours in advance and deleted immediately afterwards in line with force policy.

Croydon was selected for the pilot due to previous LFR deployments and its ongoing status as a crime hotspot.