Sex crimes on girls reduce by facial recognition tech as cops create ‘hostile atmosphere’
Pilot scheme of the technology in Croydon, south London, produced an arrest every 35 minutes, reduced crimes against women and girls by 21% and snared a suspected rapist
(Image: PA)
Sex crimes against women have been cut after police deployed live facial recognition cameras.
Lenses loaded with the tech were deployed for the first time as part of a six-month pilot in Croydon, south London, from October 2025 to March this year. The Metropolitan Police said the pilot cut crime by 10.5% compared with the same period last year.
The biggest reduction was in offences involving violence against women and girls which saw a 21% drop during the six-month period.
The success of the scheme will reinforce Home Office plans to roll out facial recognition cameras to all 43 police forces in England and Wales. More than a dozen forces use it.
Among the 173 people arrested during the Croydon pilot were a 41-year-old man wanted on suspicion of rape and a 36-year-old woman wanted for 20 years after failing to appear at court for an assault in 2004.
Other arrests included suspects wanted for serious sexual assault and kidnapping.
The cameras enable police to scan faces of passers by in the street and instantly cross-reference them with a database of wanted suspects or known criminals.
Police can stop and question convicted criminals on the sex offenders’ list as part of what the Home Office has described as a ‘hostile environment’ designed to stop them reoffending.
Policing minister Sarah Jones said the ‘disruption approach’ was reasonable to help officers manage prolific offenders.
“I certainly want to create a hostile environment for prolific sexual offenders,” she said.
The cameras were used in 24 operations each of which had a bespoke ‘wanted’ list drawn up the night before. As a result officers made the equivalent of one arrest every 35 minutes.
Lindsey Chiswick, the national and Met lead for the tech, said: “These results show why live facial recognition is such a powerful tool when it’s used carefully, openly and in the right places.
“Crime in this area is down by more than 10%. The public can see the difference.
“This technology is helping us find people wanted by the courts, identify serious offenders quickly, and focus our resources where they make the biggest impact, all with exceptional accuracy.”
More than six in 10 of offences linked to arrests were committed in Croydon which the Met said highlighted the pilot’s ability to keep hotspots safe.
More than 470,000 people walked past the camera during the pilot with just one false alert.
In April, privacy campaigners lost a High Court challenge against the Met over its use of the technology in London.
