Police to use live facial recognition in Cambridge for first time
The force has already used the technology elsewhere in the county
Live facial recognition (LFR) that aims to help police track down criminals will be used in Cambridge for the first time today.
It comes as LFR has been trialled in Peterborough city centre earlier this year.
“Live facial recognition is another valuable tool that helps us protect the public by identifying wanted offenders and those who may pose a risk to our communities," Sergeant Luke Charlton from the Cambridge neighbourhood team said.
What is LFR?
LFR compares faces captured by a live camera against a watchlist put together by police.
The technology then analyses key facial features and converts them into a facial biometric template, which is used to identify potential matches in real time.
Officers will review the images flagged as a potential match to see if further action is needed.
Those on the watchlist include individuals wanted for criminal offences and high-risk offenders.
Images that trigger an alert are deleted immediately after use or within 24 hours, while the images and biometric data of individuals who do not trigger an alert will be deleted automatically.
Once deleted, they cannot be retrieved.
“Following successful deployments in Peterborough, we’re now bringing this technology to Cambridge," Sgt Charlton said.
"It allows us to locate people who are sought by the courts or wanted in connection with offences, helping us bring them to justice more quickly."
How successful has LFR been in Cambridgeshire so far?
Data from Cambridgeshire Police shows on the two days in May and June that LFR was used in Peterborough, 1,156 people were on a watchlist with just 10 alerts.
Nine of these alerts were confirmed as positive, with 53,534 faces seen in total.
Sgt Charlton said police will be available to talk about the technology in more detail.
“We understand people may have questions about how the technology works, which is why officers will be on hand throughout the deployment to speak with members of the public and provide information," he added.
"Transparency is really important to us, and we want people to understand the safeguards that are in place.”
Most back tech, but concerns raised
As of the end of last year, LFR had been used by 13 of 43 police forces in England and Wales.
Results of a Home Office survey published towards the end of 2025 found two in three supported the use of facial recognition technology (FRT), seeing benefits such as helping police catch criminal and improving public safety.
While the survey showed one in 10 were against FRT, raising concerns around the risk of false identification and issues around data privacy.
In January, policing minister Sarah Jones MP laid out plans to use £119 million in Home Office money for this year to help focus on AI in policing, including a "national rollout of live facial recognition".
The idea is part of the Government's white paper on police reform, which it said will aim to "modernise the policing system and ensure it is better structured and equipped for the future."