UK Police Expands Usage of Facial Recognition Vans

The UK Government has announced the deployment of 10 new Live Facial Recognition (LFR) vans across seven police forces in England, saying the move will help officers track down suspects wanted for some of the most serious crimes.

What?

On 13 August, the Home Office confirmed that vans equipped with live facial recognition cameras will be shared between Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, Bedfordshire, Surrey and Sussex (jointly), and Thames Valley and Hampshire (jointly). The rollout is part of the government’s wider “Plan for Change” in policing, which also includes neighbourhood policing guarantees and the recruitment of 13,000 more officers by 2029.

The new vans are expected to be deployed in the coming weeks. They will be coordinated nationally by the National Police Chiefs’ Council and South Wales Police, which has already led the way in using the technology. The government says each vehicle will be staffed with trained officers who verify every potential match generated by the software.

How Does the Technology Work?

Live facial recognition compares the faces of people passing by with those held on a police “watchlist”. These watchlists are drawn up for each deployment and include individuals wanted for offences such as sexual assault, violent crime, murder, and breaches of bail or court conditions.

The technology measures facial features such as the distance between a person’s eyes or the shape of the jawline, creating a digital signature that can then be matched against the watchlist. If a possible match is made, an officer on site reviews the image before deciding whether to stop the individual.

Why Is the Government Expanding It Now?

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the expansion reflects both the need to modernise policing and the results already seen in London and South Wales. “Facial recognition will be used in a targeted way to identify sex offenders or people wanted for the most serious crimes who the police have not been able to find,” she explained, adding that the rollout will be backed by a new legal framework and public consultation on safeguards.

Only Intelligence-Led Use

It’s worth noting here that the government says that officers will only use the technology in intelligence-led deployments, and that strict guidance from the College of Policing and the Surveillance Camera Code of Practice will apply. It insists the aim is not mass surveillance but a proportionate use of new tools to protect the public.

What Have Previous Trials Achieved?

The Metropolitan Police and South Wales Police have been the two leading forces trialling LFR technology. According to the Met, 580 arrests were made in London over a 12-month period up to mid-2025, covering offences including rape, domestic abuse, robbery, and knife crime. Among those detained were 52 registered sex offenders who had breached their conditions.

South Wales Police has emphasised its record, reporting no false alerts since August 2019. Chief Superintendent Tim Morgan has argued the technology has been deployed ethically and lawfully, saying it has “never resulted in a wrongful arrest” in the force’s area. It has been used at large public gatherings such as football matches and concerts, where suspects for serious offences have been identified and detained.

However, these claims have not gone unchallenged. For example, earlier deployments in South Wales were the subject of a legal challenge brought by a Cardiff resident (Ed Bridges), who argued the technology was used unlawfully to scan him in public without consent. Although the Court of Appeal ruled in 2020 that South Wales Police’s use of LFR was unlawful on three grounds, including a lack of proper safeguards against arbitrary use, the force was later cleared to continue under revised guidance.

The Metropolitan Police has also faced criticism after individuals (including Londoner Shaun Thompson) were wrongly flagged by cameras during live deployments. Civil liberties groups say such errors highlight the risks of false positives, even if no wrongful arrests ultimately followed.

Examples of use include London deployments in violent crime hotspots and at high-profile events such as a Beyoncé concert, where police used the technology to search for individuals suspected of terrorism or child abuse offences. While supporters say these trials show the technology’s potential to locate dangerous offenders in crowded settings, opponents argue the risks to privacy and the possibility of misidentification remain significant.

The Case for Benefits

Proponents argue that live facial recognition allows officers to locate suspects more quickly than traditional policing methods. For example, Lindsey Chiswick, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for facial recognition, said the new vans provide “an excellent opportunity for policing”, with every deployment being “targeted, intelligence-led, within a set geographical location and for a defined period of time”.

The Tony Blair Institute for Global Change has also supported its use, describing it as “a no-brainer” for catching violent offenders in crowded public places. They argue that those not on a watchlist will have their faces pixelated, with no data retained.

For police forces, the vans are expected to essentially act as a force multiplier, freeing up resources and providing a visible deterrent at a time when officers are under pressure to deal with rising violent crime and anti-social behaviour.

Criticism and Concerns

Civil liberties groups remain strongly opposed to the use of this technology. For example, Big Brother Watch described the rollout as “a significant expansion of the surveillance state” and has lodged a legal challenge against the Metropolitan Police’s use of the technology. Interim director Rebecca Vincent argued that police were treating the lack of a specific legal framework as “carte blanche” to expand the practice without democratic scrutiny.

Also, Baroness Chakrabarti, former director of Liberty, called the technology “incredibly intrusive” and warned that it posed risks to privacy, freedom of assembly, and the possibility of false matches. She welcomed the consultation but criticised the absence of legislation to date, saying the technology had so far been deployed “completely outside the law”.

Amnesty International UK has also criticised the move, describing LFR as “dangerous and discriminatory”. The group warns that even if algorithms are shown to be unbiased in laboratory tests, real-world deployments risk disproportionately targeting minority communities.

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), which regulates data protection, emphasised that facial recognition “does not operate in a legal vacuum” and must always be lawful, fair, and proportionate. The ICO is due to publish its findings on the use of the technology by South Wales and Gwent Police.

What Does Independent Testing Show?

To address bias concerns, the government commissioned the National Physical Laboratory to test the algorithms being used in the vans. The laboratory reported that at the settings used by police, the system was accurate and showed no bias by age, gender, or ethnicity.

Even so, critics argue that independent testing cannot address all the risks. The possibility of false positives, mission creep into less serious crimes, or erosion of trust in policing remain live debates.

Implications for Communities and Businesses

For the public, the presence of LFR vans is likely to be visible in town centres and at large public events. The Home Office has said that signage will make it clear when the technology is being used, and that data will only be retained for the period of the deployment.

Businesses in affected areas may see benefits if the vans deter shoplifting, robbery, or violent crime in retail and nightlife districts. However, there are concerns about potential impacts on footfall if people feel uncomfortable being scanned while shopping or socialising.

Neighbourhood organisations such as Neighbourhood Watch have broadly welcomed the balance between more officers and targeted technology. Chief Executive John Hayward-Cripps said the combination of “responsive policing that prioritises local relationships” with modern tools could help rebuild public trust.

For police officers themselves, the vans offer a new way to match intelligence with on-the-ground enforcement, but they also come with added responsibilities for transparency, proportionality, and accuracy.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

The government’s decision to expand live facial recognition vans puts advanced surveillance tools directly into mainstream policing, but it also raises difficult questions about oversight. For police forces, the benefits are obvious, i.e., the vans make it easier to identify wanted suspects in crowded areas and allow officers to focus on other frontline duties. The record of arrests in London and South Wales shows the technology can be effective against serious offenders, yet the court rulings and cases of mistaken identification show why critics say it cannot be deployed without stronger safeguards.

For the public, the experience is likely to be mixed. For example, some will welcome the reassurance of extra tools against violent crime, while others will be uneasy at the idea of their faces being scanned in public. Public trust will hinge on whether officers use the vans in line with clear rules and whether those rules are seen to be independently enforced. Businesses in city centres may gain if the technology reduces theft, disorder and violence near shops and venues, although any perception of over-policing could also deter customers.

The government’s consultation on new legislation is, therefore, critical. Campaigners argue that police have been using LFR outside a proper legal framework for years, while ministers insist deployments will stay targeted and proportionate. The outcome will decide whether this expansion strengthens policing while protecting rights, or whether it fuels a deeper public backlash that undermines confidence across communities, businesses and other stakeholders.