Live facial recognition cameras may become ‘commonplace’ as police use soars
Guardian4 days
UK: Live Facial Recognition Scans by Police Double Amid Widening Use
Above: A facial recognition system is deployed by the Metropolitan Police at Oxford Circus on May 13, 2025 in London, England. Image copyright: Leon Neal/Getty Images
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
In an era of rising crime and stretched police resources, live facial recognition is proving to be a vital tool for modern policing. In 2024 alone, it helped the Met arrest hundreds — including a known sex offender caught breaching child protection rules. Unlike traditional surveillance, LFR allows police to identify offenders in real time and even retrospectively, flagging threats that might otherwise slip through the cracks. As the tech expands to vans, fixed cameras, and major public spaces, it’s about time it became commonplace in the fight to keep the streets safe.
Establishment-critical narrative
As live facial recognition edges toward becoming commonplace across U.K. streets and stores, serious concerns grow. Police scan millions of faces with little oversight, risking wrongful arrests due to high error rates — especially for people of color and women. In supermarkets, shoppers face secret watchlists without consent, turning everyday spaces into biometric traps. With no clear laws governing use or accountability, this unchecked expansion of LFR tech threatens privacy, fairness, public trust, and risks normalizing dystopian mass surveillance.