Live Facial Recognition technology used in York for first time
North Yorkshire Police to use the tech for crime prevention
North Yorkshire Police will introduce Live Facial Recognition (LFR) technology in York city centre today (23rd September 2026).
The force say LFR is designed to aid in public safety by identifying individuals wanted by the police or courts and those considered at risk.
The system works by processing live camera footage and comparing it to a watchlist of persons meeting specific criteria.
Upon detecting potential matches, officers review alerts and conduct further checks to decide if action is necessary, while images not matching the watchlist are deleted immediately.
North Yorkshire Police say this deployment is part of a broader initiative employed by several police forces to improve efficiency in locating individuals and reducing crime.
But campaigners have raised serious concerns about use of the technology. Campaign group Big Brother watch say it can wrongly identify people, with fears that Black people and women are disproportionately affected.
How does Live Facial Recognition work?
Live Facial Recognition (LFR) technology analyses a live video feed from cameras covering a defined deployment area.
When the system detects a face, it extracts an image of the face and then creates a numerical representation known as a biometric template. It then compares this template against the biometric templates of known faces in a watchlist, generating possible matches.
Each comparison produces a similarity score. If the score exceeds a set threshold, the system generates an alert indicating a possible match. An alert does not establish a person's identity: a trained officer reviews the images before deciding whether any further action is appropriate.
If no alert is generated, the extracted face image and biometric template created from the live feed is immediately and automatically deleted. The underlying CCTV footage is normally deleted within 31 days unless there is a lawful reason to retain it for longer.