Seven arrests in Piccadilly with live facial recognition technology

Seven men have been arrested with the use of live facial recognition technology in the city centre, with four men being charged. 

The use of the technology is part of a wider tactic used by the police named Operation Avro. Already, there have been 63 arrests with this operation. Six of the arrests have been from facial recognition technology. 

Within the first five minutes of deployment, LFR identified a wanted suspect, leading to an arrest. 

Inspector Jon Middleton said: “The technology is about keeping people safe as well as identifying people wanted for criminal offences and locating vulnerable people. This proactive approach allows officers to intervene before suspects can commit further offences, reducing the risk to the public.”

Operation Avro is a monthly crackdown on crime in the city centre, around Piccadilly Gardens and Market Street.

The facial technology officers goes to a different district each month. The technology had been tested previously by the Met and South Wales Police.

The test is aimed to give an impartial, science focused and evidence-based analysis of the facial recognition algorithm. The facial recognition camera compares scanned faces to a pre-established database in real-time. If a match is made police will be alerted.

The technology is being used in two vans which have been positioned in Piccadilly Gardens and on Market Street. 

Three men have been charged after appearing in court, one man in his 30s for entering Piccadilly Gardens for breaching a conditional behaviour order. Another man in his 30s was arrested on suspicion of shoplifting. A man in his 40s had breached a court order in 2020 and had been wanted ever since. He has now been charged after appearing in court.