00:00During a pilot of live facial recognition in Croydon, the Metropolitan Police said that crime
00:05in the area reduced by 10.5 per cent during the trial, which took place between October
00:112025 and March 2026, including a 21 per cent reduction in violence against women and girls.
00:19The static cameras placed on Croydon High Street were used in 24 operations with arrests
00:26including a 36-year-old woman who was wanted for failing to appear at court for an assault
00:32in 2004. A 31-year-old man who was wanted for voyeurism for more than six months was also
00:39arrested, as well as a 41-year-old man who was wanted in connection with a rape in November
00:45in Croydon. Lindsay Chiswick, National and Met Lead for Live Facial Recognition, said these
00:53results show why live facial recognition is such a powerful tool when it's used carefully,
00:59openly and in the right places. She added that this technology is helping the force to find
01:05people wanted by the courts, identify serious offenders quickly and focus resources where
01:12they make the biggest impact. All with exceptional accuracy. More than 470,000 people walked past
01:20the camera during the pilot, which saw one false alert for which the person was spoken to by officers
01:26and then allowed to leave.
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