Live Facial Recognition Cameras to be introduced to the West End

We are planning to rollout the use of static Live Facial Recognition (LFR) cameras across the West End after the conclusion of a successful pilot in Croydon.

By the end of the year, we will introduce static cameras across West End and Soho, focussing on covering areas with the highest crime. 

These cameras are focussed on an area, and when people pass through, their images are streamed directly to the Live Facial Recognition system and compared against a watchlist. If there is a positive match, officers can then intervene and take appropriate action. 

While these cameras will be static, they will not be fixed in place, and we will be able to move them to target any new crime hotspots that emerge.

Since 2024, officers across London have made more than 2,000 arrests using LFR cameras, taking rapists, sex offenders and prolific shoplifters off the streets.  

Normally these cameras, are mounted in a dedicated van, however the pilot in Croydon allowed our colleagues to fix cameras to street furniture like lampposts, and arrest more than 170 people. During this pilot more than 470,000 people walked past the camera and there was one false alert. This resulted in a brief interaction with officers, who swiftly identified the alert was false and allowed the person who had been stopped to continue on their way.

No one has ever been arrested as a result of a false alert from LFR.

Making the announcement, Sir Mark Rowley, Commissioner of the Met said: 

“Facial recognition is one of the most revolutionary technology advances in policing in recent years. Public confidence in this is clear - around 80 per cent 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 of thousands of people. The technology supports officers to target wanted criminals and registered sex offenders. Crucially it is supporting officers - not replacing them.

“Now we’re taking that capability further. We want to build on our success by introducing this capability to the West End and Soho by December. The use of static cameras will help us continue cutting crime in high-footfall areas in central London.

“We also have to be clear about the threat we face - criminals are not standing still. They are quick to exploit new technology to commit offences, evade detection and target victims at scale. Policing cannot afford to fall behind and this is another step towards tackling that.”

Dee Corsi, Chief Executive of New West End Company, said:

"We have long supported the responsible use of Live Facial Recognition (LFR) as an effective tool in tackling crime, improving public safety and enhancing public confidence. A pilot scheme in the West End presents a significant opportunity that we very much welcome and are working closely with the Metropolitan Police and other partners to explore funding opportunities.

“As one of the world's busiest destinations for retail, leisure, hospitality and business, the West End must continue to invest in innovative measures that help keep businesses, workers and visitors safe. LFR would complement the £23 million investment New West End Company is making on behalf of its businesses in enhanced security over the next five years.

“Reducing crime requires strong collaboration between businesses, policing and local government, and we look forward to continuing that partnership to make the West End safer for all."

Westminster City Council’s Cabinet Member for Enforcement, Councillor Caroline Sargent, said:

"The City Council is committed to enhancing its new CCTV networks and will be embracing both AI and new technologies as part of our commitment to innovation and public safety.

“Our work with the West End Taskforce will help us drive new partnership approaches to live facial recognition in Soho and the West End and hopefully lead to new ways of working that will benefit the whole city."

We will continue to provide updates on how we keeping you safe in your communities. If you want to know more about LFR, please go to the Met website.