Arrests made after deployment of Live Facial Recognition vans
Two men have been arrested and a missing person found after Live Facial Recognition was used in Manchester city centre
Two men have been arrested and a missing person found after Live Facial Recognition was used in Manchester city centre.
Cameras in Piccadilly Gardens identified a registered sex offender and a man who'd been wanted by police since July.
A vulnerable man in his forties, missing from an NHS facility, was also found by officers.
The Live Facial Recognition vans at work
Greater Manchester Police say the LFR vans were deployed in Piccadilly Gardens on Friday - the first day of the Christmas Markets - and the cameras spotted a man who had been wanted by the Metropolitan Police since July.
Officers say they arrested a registered sex offender using Live Facial Recognition technology in Manchester city centre.
The 33-year-old is in custody on suspicion of failing to comply with his sex offender notification requirements.
A 27-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of breaching non-molestation order and is also in custody.
They also located a vulnerable man in his 40s who had been reported missing from an NHS facility.
Police say the vans have been supplied by the Home Office and will be used by forces across the north west.
'Making sure our communities are protected'
Inspector Jon Middleton said: “This is exactly the reason LFR is being deployed across Greater Manchester, to make sure our communities are protected from harm and people wanted for crimes are found and arrested.
“LFR is a precise and targeted tool and will only identify individuals who have been added to a bespoke watchlist – it significantly speeds up the process of identifying people at risk or wanted by police.”
Officers also arrested two men earlier in the week.
The LFR vans will be in Wigan next week, on Monday and Wednesday - you can find more information on GMP's website.