The Metropolitan Police’s recent showcase of live facial recognition (LFR) technology highlights a disturbing trend towards authoritarian-style policing that infringes on civil liberties under the guise of crime reduction. While the authorities tout the technology as an essential crime-fighting tool, the reality reveals an alarming buildup of surveillance powers that threaten individual freedoms and privacy in this country.

Since its deployment, LFR has been responsible for over 1,000 arrests across London—many cases involving minor infractions or questionable targeting—raising questions about the criteria for its use. Footage released by the police, which includes body-camera footage of suspects being chased down on bicycles and other routine arrests, demonstrates how this invasive technology operates by capturing real-time images of people in public spaces and cross-referencing their faces against massive databases. This isn’t just about catching criminals; it’s about normalising mass surveillance and eroding the presumption of innocence.

Leading figures within the force, like Director of Intelligence Lindsey Chiswick, insist that LFR helps identify threats to communities. But at what cost? The case of David Cheneler—a registered sex offender arrested after breaching his sexual harm prevention order—serves as a poster child for the false promise of technology. While seemingly justified, the broader application of these Orwellian surveillance methods means innocent people and minority groups increasingly targeted and scrutinised without proper oversight.

The scale of deployment has exploded in recent months, with the police activating LFR 117 times from January to August 2024—a sharp increase from just 32 times in the previous three years. Over 360 arrests in just one year, many linked to minor offences or routine checks, illustrate a police force rapidly expanding its surveillance toolkit in what can only be described as an invasion of privacy. Civil liberties groups like Liberty and Big Brother Watch have rightly condemned this as “deeply concerning” and “Orwellian,” warning that such measures compromise fundamental rights and foster a climate of suspicion rather than safety.

Operations in Boroughs like Croydon, with multiple arrests in a short span, are pitched as “precision policing”—yet what it truly reveals is an overreach of state power that disproportionately affects minority communities and vulnerable groups. Such unchecked deployment of facial recognition technology must be met with stringent regulation if we are to prevent this creeping surveillance state from becoming the new norm.

Meanwhile, the police continue to insist that LFR is vital for tackling serious violence and dangerous offenders, but this spin ignores the deeper implications of a society where citizens are watched constantly and their rights sidelined. The pursuit of quick wins through invasive technology should not come at the expense of democracy and personal liberty. True safety depends on respecting civil rights, not eroding them behind a veil of surveillance.

Source: Noah Wire Services