British Transport Police's live facial recognition (LFR) cameras have scanned approximately 330,000 commuters across London's busiest stations since February, yet only one person was flagged as a potential criminal – and that alert turned out to be a false alarm. The technology, deployed at crime hotspots, has so far failed to produce a single confirmed match.
Deployments and results
The force has carried out 13 LFR deployments, amounting to around 50 hours of officers' time, with no criminals identified. The only alert occurred at King's Cross Station in February, but was later determined to be an error. Per-station scans included: 92,784 faces at Waterloo, 71,945 at Euston, 51,948 at Victoria, 45,332 at King's Cross, 17,478 at St Pancras, 17,219 at Liverpool Street, and 16,156 at London Bridge.
Privacy concerns
Big Brother Watch criticized the pilot, stating: 'The figures from the British Transport Police's live facial recognition pilot would be laughable, if they didn't have such troubling implications for our rights and freedoms. Millions of Londoners use the city's stations every day and may have already found themselves caught in a digital police line-up, likely without even realising. It's not fair to subject innocent people to intrusive identity checks during their commute.'
Police response
A British Transport Police spokesperson said: 'To date, no alerts have resulted in a confirmed match. We have set a deliberately high threshold to prioritise accuracy and reduce the likelihood of misidentification, with all alerts subject to officer review before any engagement. LFR is being deployed as part of wider policing operations at stations, alongside existing patrols and engagement activity, to keep passengers and staff safe. During these deployments, officers have made thirteen arrests for offences including breach of Criminal Behaviour Orders, theft and public order offences. Four people were arrested after being identified as wanted by other forces. As these arrests were not as a direct result of a facial match using the LFR technology, they are not included within LFR performance data. We can confirm that we have seen a reduction in crime during the periods where these operations have been in place, which reflects the broader policing activity and increased officer presence.'
Private sector use and errors
The technology is also used by private operators like Facewatch, which scans faces entering shops. Despite claiming 99.98% accuracy, errors have occurred. In one case, a mother named Anamaria was wrongly accused of theft at Sports Direct in Woolwich after being misidentified by Facewatch. In February, Sainsbury's shopper Warren Rajah was escorted out of the Elephant and Castle branch after a mistaken identification.
Metropolitan Police expansion
The Metropolitan Police, the first force to install permanent LFR cameras, announced plans to expand the program to the West End and Soho. Their deployment in Croydon over six months led to 173 arrests, including a woman wanted for over 20 years. Most residents surveyed supported the cameras, citing crime concerns. However, local food vendor Shannon Kirwin noted that many criminals wear face coverings, questioning the cameras' effectiveness. Resident Christian added: 'I think it's a good thing. This place is no longer a nice place. If you haven't done anything wrong, there's no need to be worried.'
