Met Police Commissioner says LFR led to over 700 arrests, drones coming soon
10/09/2025 | BBC News
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has described live facial recognition (LFR) as a "game-changing tool" that has led to more than 700 arrests this year. According to Sir Mark, this total includes 50 registered sex offenders in breach of their conditions. He said that LFR is transforming "hotspot policing" by helping officers make faster, more informed decisions.
The commissioner highlighted the technology's effectiveness at Notting Hill Carnival, where LFR contributed to 61 arrests and significant reductions in robbery, violence, and sexual offences. Sir Mark also announced the force's plans to pilot the use of drones alongside officers to support public safety, for tasks such as searching for missing people and assisting at traffic incidents.
Meanwhile, The Telegraph (£) reports that 80% of Londoners support LFR use to deal with serious crime.
£ - The Telegraph article requires a subscription.
What is this page?
You are reading a summary article on the Privacy Newsfeed, a free resource for DPOs and other professionals with privacy or data protection responsibilities helping them stay informed of industry news all in one place. The information here is a brief snippet relating to a single piece of original content or several articles about a common topic or thread. The main contributor is listed in the top left-hand corner, just beneath the article title.
The Privacy Newsfeed monitors over 300 global publications, of which more than 6,250 summary articles have been posted to the online archive dating back to the beginning of 2020. A weekly roundup is available by email every Friday.