Facial recognition cameras scan nearly 30,000 faces in Cambridge city centre debut
Three people were arrested during the force's first use of the technology
Three people have been arrested after Cambridgeshire Constabulary used live facial recognition technology in Cambridge for the first time.
The operation took place between 10am and 4pm in Market Square and Sidney Street on Friday 2nd October.
Specialist equipment was used to compare live camera images against a police watchlist.
During the deployment, 29,361 faces were scanned, resulting in four positive matches and three arrests.
Those arrested included two men aged 63 and 39 wanted for failing to appear in court.
A 52-year-old man was also arrested in connection with theft and has since been charged with theft of a pedal cycle and theft by finding.
The watchlist used during the operation contained 917 individuals.
The technology compares images from a live video feed against a pre-defined watchlist.
When a potential match is detected, it is reviewed by a trained officer before any action is taken.
Cambridgeshire Constabulary said live facial recognition supports officers in locating people who may pose a risk to the public, including wanted suspects, individuals subject to court-issued warrants and high-risk offenders.
Inspector Sam Tucker, who oversaw the deployment, said: "This was an encouraging first deployment for Cambridge and demonstrated how the technology can help us locate wanted individuals and protect the public.
"We also spoke with many members of the public throughout the day who wanted to understand more about how live facial recognition works and the safeguards that are in place.
"Alongside the positive identifications, officers remained available to deal with incidents and provide reassurance in the city centre."
The force said images and biometric data relating to people who do not generate an alert are automatically deleted and cannot be recovered.
The watchlist created for the operation is also removed within 24 hours.