The Metropolitan Police is to introduce static live facial recognition cameras across the West End and Soho by the end of the year, building on a successful pilot in Croydon that led to more than 170 arrests and saw crime fall significantly, Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has announced.
The rollout will see cameras mounted to existing infrastructure such as lampposts rather than specialist vans, making deployments faster and more flexible, as well as freeing up mobile units for use elsewhere in the capital. The Met has already made more than 2,000 arrests with the support of live facial recognition cameras since the start of 2024, helping take rapists, sex offenders and prolific shoplifters off London’s streets.
The Croydon pilot, which ran across 24 separate operations between October 2025 and March 2026, saw 173 arrests made with cameras positioned at the north and south ends of the high street. More than 470,000 people walked past the cameras during that period, with just one false alert — which was swiftly resolved without an arrest. No one has ever been arrested as a result of a false alert generated by the technology. Around 61 per cent of offences linked to arrests during the pilot had been committed in Croydon itself, demonstrating the cameras’ ability to target crime in specific hotspot areas.
Speaking ahead of a speech on policing reform on Wednesday, Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said the technology represented one of the most significant advances in modern policing. “Facial recognition is one of the most revolutionary technology advances in policing in recent years. Public confidence in this is clear — around 80 per cent of Londoners support its use. That backing reflects a simple truth: it works,” he said. “We have already seen the impact in Croydon, where a six-month pilot delivered over 170 arrests, a reduction in crime, and a significant fall in violence against women and girls. All these results with only one false alert among hundreds of thousands of people.” He added: “Criminals are not standing still. They are quick to exploit new technology to commit offences, evade detection and target victims at scale. Policing cannot afford to fall behind.”
The planned expansion will cover the West End and Soho by December, with the Met working alongside local councils to identify additional high-crime areas for a broader rollout across London from next year. The cameras are only activated during live deployments, when officers are present on the ground, and each deployment uses a bespoke, intelligence-led watchlist created no more than 24 hours in advance and deleted immediately afterwards.
Business leaders in central London welcomed the announcement. Dee Corsi, chief executive of New West End Company, said the West End, as “one of the world’s busiest destinations for retail, leisure, hospitality and business,” needed to invest in innovative safety measures, adding that live facial recognition would complement a £23 million security investment being made on behalf of businesses over the next five years. Ros Morgan, chief executive of Heart of London Business Alliance, said crime and antisocial behaviour had “a direct impact on businesses, affecting staff wellbeing, visitor confidence and the overall experience of the West End.”
Westminster City Council’s cabinet member for enforcement, Councillor Caroline Sargent, said the council was “committed to enhancing its new CCTV networks” and would be “embracing both AI and new technologies as part of our commitment to innovation and public safety.”
The expansion follows a judicial review in April in which the court concluded the Met’s live facial recognition policy complies with human rights law, finding that it contains “clear, precise and effective safeguards.”
