LONDON 

A trial of live facial recognition (LFR) technology in south London has helped cut robbery and shoplifting and led to more than 100 arrests, the Metropolitan Police said Monday, as the force faces a High Court challenge over the legality of its use of the technology.

The pilot scheme in Croydon, launched in October, uses 15 fixed cameras mounted on lamp posts along both sides of the busy North End shopping street.

Unlike previous deployments using mobile police vans, the cameras operate remotely, scanning passersby’s faces and comparing their unique facial features with police watchlists.

The Met said that a third of the arrests made during the trial were linked to offences against women and girls, including strangulation and sexual assault.

“The increase in LFR deployments across crime hotspots in London is driven by its proven impact and success – with more than 1,700 dangerous offenders taken off London’s streets since the start of 2024, including those wanted for rape and child abuse," Lindsey Chiswick, the Met and national lead for live facial recognition, said in a statement.

"The amount of arrests we have made in just 13 deployments shows the technology is already making an impact and helping to make Croydon safer. Public support remains strong, with 85% of Londoners backing the use of LFR to keep them safe," she added.

However, the expansion of the technology comes amid mounting legal and ethical concerns.

Next week, the High Court will hear a challenge brought by civil liberties group Big Brother Watch and Shaun Thompson, 39, who was wrongly identified by the technology near London Bridge tube station in February 2024.

Thompson said he was stopped by police and asked to provide fingerprints, which he refused, and was only released after about 30 minutes when he showed officers a photo of his passport.

He has described the facial recognition technology as “stop and search on steroids.”

The Equality and Human Rights Commission, which has been granted permission to intervene in the case, said the Met’s current use of LFR breaches human rights law.

Civil liberties groups argue the technology invades privacy, risks misidentification and operates without clear domestic legislation.