The Metropolitan Police has faced criticism over its use of live facial recognition (LFR) technology, with data showing it has been deployed disproportionately in London boroughs with higher-than-average Black populations. According to figures from City Hall's Green group, LFR was used 180 times last year, with over half of these instances in areas where the Black population exceeds the city average.
Locations included Croydon's Thornton Heath, where 40% of residents are Black, Haringey's Northumberland Park (36%), and Lewisham's Deptford High Street (34%). Hackney Greens' co-leader Zoë Garbett, who also represents Hackney at City Hall, described the rollout as a 'new threat' that reinforces 'the troubling assumption that certain communities are more likely to be criminals'.
Ms Garbett questioned the fairness of subjecting people to surveillance based on their shopping location and noted that arrest figures from LFR remain low. In Hackney, where nearly one in four residents identifies as Black or Black British, the technology has been used six times, primarily on Mare Street and Kingsland High Street, leading to 26 arrests following positive identity matches.
The council previously passed a Green group motion opposing LFR, but a council spokesperson said it lacked the mandate to prevent police use. Ms Garbett argued the council should raise concerns and push back to avoid bias or harm. The Met Police defended the technology, stating it helped make over 500 arrests last year, including for serious offences, and that deployments are intelligence-led based on threat assessments.
