London Police Arrest Over 2,500 Using Real‑Time Facial Recognition

Police in London have been running a real‑time facial‑recognition pilot on Sloane Square in Chelsea. Cameras capture faces of passers‑by, software instantly compares them with a police database and sends alerts to officers’ mobile phones. Since the programme began in 2024, about 2,500 people have been detained, including roughly 900 this year.

Police intelligence director Ben Russell called the experiment “a huge success” and says the technology is “very effective”. Critics, such as Jack Coulson of Big Brother Watch, warn that no legislation currently governs the system and that it poses a serious invasion of privacy. The police say false alarms are rare and that a person is only arrested after their identity is confirmed with documents. The pilot has sparked public debate over the balance between security and civil liberties.