London's Oxford Street to implement live facial recognition cameras

The Metropolitan Police plans to install permanent live facial recognition (LFR) cameras along Oxford Street as early as December. The technology will scan the faces of the approximately 500,000 daily visitors to compare them against watchlists of wanted suspects. The cameras may be mounted on street furniture, such as lampposts, making the area one of the first in the country to feature fixed LFR infrastructure.

The deployment is intended for the West End and Soho areas, which experience some of London's highest crime rates. The Metropolitan Police cited a previous six-month pilot in Croydon, which reportedly contributed to a 10 per cent decrease in crime and 173 arrests, as a justification for the rollout.

Human rights organization Liberty has criticized the move, calling it “unregulated surveillance technology.” Akiko Hart, director of Liberty, argued that the rollout should be paused until a legal framework and independent oversight are established, noting that the government has yet to publish a response to a public consultation regarding the use of biometrics and facial recognition.