The Metropolitan Police has begun deploying new Live Facial Recognition (LFR) cameras across London to identify wanted suspects in real time, with the Daily Mail present to witness the technology in action. During the operation described, seven suspects were identified and arrested after the cameras flagged them to officers, demonstrating how the system can lead to swift, on-the-spot detentions of people who might otherwise have evaded capture.

The technology works by scanning faces in a crowd and cross-referencing them against police watchlists, alerting officers when a match is found so they can intervene immediately. The Met has been expanding its use of facial recognition cameras as part of a wider push to identify offenders more efficiently, with this latest deployment resulting in the arrest of seven individuals during the monitored operation.