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A pilot which has seen the Met Police fixing live facial recognition cameras to lamp posts to identify wanted criminals has led to over 100 arrests in three months as it tries out a new approach in south London.
For the first time, the cameras have been attached to existing street furniture rather than on the top of vans parked on the street. The London Borough of Croydon was chosen for the pilot and in the Fairfield Ward of the borough, LFR cameras have been installed in two locations at the north and south ends of the local high street, a crime hotspot according to the Met’s data.
The Met says that this installation has helped drive down crime in this area by 12% and found that three quarters of those arrested as a result of identification by the cameras reside in the borough.
The cameras are not on all of the time but when activated, the Met says that there has been an arrest on average every 34 minutes when in use. The pilot started in October 2025. Cameras are only activated when officers are present and conducting a deployment with specialist LFR officers and neighbourhood teams remaining on the ground throughout every operation to engage with the public and respond to alerts.
Of those arrested, a third were for violence against women and girls offences, such as strangulation and sexual assault. Others include recall to prison, burglary and possession of offensive weapon. One arrest saw the apprehension of a woman who had been at large for over 20 years and another saw a man aged 27 who was wanted on suspicion of kidnap.
Lindsey Chiswick, the Met and national lead for live facial recognition, said the Met was trialling this innovation to see how remote operation could be more efficient. The pilot has revealed that the average time to locate wanted individuals has reduced by more than 50% compared with van-based deployments.
Each deployment of live facial recognition uses a bespoke watchlist created shortly beforehand and deleted immediately after the deployment ends.
The Met says there are no further plans to extend the pilot. It is now evaluating it to assess its effectiveness.
Read more about LFR deployments and the government’s consultation on the legal framework for its use is open until 12 February.
