Document Type and Publisher
This is a news article published by The Register on 13 May 2026 and written by Connor Jones. It covers the Metropolitan Police Service's (MPS) six-month trial of static live facial recognition (LFR) cameras.
Trial Results
Across 24 operations between October 2025 and March 2026, the Met made 173 arrests. The article reports the MPS credits the trial with helping it secure an arrest every 35 minutes. Those arrested included people suspected of kidnapping and sex crimes, and others who had evaded law enforcement for decades. Thirty-seven of the arrests related to people who had breached court-imposed conditions. Examples cited in the article include:
- A 36-year-old woman wanted after failing to appear at court for a 2004 assault.
- A 31-year-old man wanted for more than six months in connection with voyeurism.
- A 41-year-old man suspected of rape in November 2025.
- Nilton Darame, 25, found in October 2025 after violating electronic tag conditions, later sentenced to 18 months in prison.
- Kastriot Krrashi, 35, stopped in November 2025 on suspicion of breaching his conditions as a registered sex offender, later sentenced to six months.
- Neville Cohen, 55, identified in January 2026 after failing to attend Croydon Police Station as required by his Sexual Harm Prevention Order, later sentenced to four months.
The Croydon Fixed Cameras
Two cameras were deployed, one at each end of Croydon High Street, as part of the Met's first trial of fixed LFR cameras. They are permanently installed on existing infrastructure such as lampposts but are not running 24/7. They are activated only during defined operational timeframes and when officers are in the vicinity. The article contrasts this with mobile LFR vans, which are usually activated only with prior warning and during limited hours. The MPS says remote monitoring of the fixed cameras frees up vans for deployment in other parts of the capital.
Accuracy Claims
The MPS says more than 470,000 individuals walked past the two Croydon cameras during the trial's operational periods, and only one false positive was registered. That individual was not arrested, and the Met states that no one has ever been arrested as a result of a false positive LFR flag.
Civil Liberties Criticism
The article reports that Big Brother Watch labels the technology "dystopian" and called the permanent Croydon installations "chilling infrastructure." The group recently lost a High Court battle in which it represented anti-knife crime campaigner Shaun Thompson, who received a settlement from the Met after LFR wrongly flagged him. Thompson described the technology as "stop and search on steroids." The group argued LFR violated several human rights, but the High Court ruled in the police's favour.
Purpose and Audience of Coverage on Live Facial Recognition
The article presents statements from Lindsey Chiswick, national and Met lead for LFR, who said the results show LFR is "such a powerful tool" when used "carefully, openly, and in the right places" and that crime in the area is down by more than 10 percent. It sets these claims alongside civil liberties objections, and the MPS states it will continue using static cameras in Croydon as part of its regular LFR deployments.