A series of sexual predators and other criminal suspects have been arrested after the Police deployed facial recognition cameras into Brent in January.
Facial Recognition technology can be used by the Met to prevent and detect crime, find wanted criminals, safeguard vulnerable people, and to protect people from harm.
The special cameras, which were used in Brent for the third time in January, were focused on a specific high footfall area. When people passed through that area their images were streamed directly to the live facial recognition system and compared to a watchlist of people relevant to police investigations.
Borough Detective Superintendent Will Lexton-Jones said: “The facial recognition initiative was highly effective. We ran out of police officers due to the number of arrests. In 90 minutes, we made seven arrests, most of which were of sexual offenders.”
In the past year, crime rates have decreased significantly in Brent, with burglary down by 18%, motor vehicle crime down by 12%, and homicide down by 16%. While these figures are encouraging, recent tragic incidents indicate that more work needs to be done.
Violence Against Women Lead Officer Champal Grewal said: “Tackling violence against women remains a top priority for the police. Police officers conduct undercover operations at various venues to monitor activities. We also provide training on safety, crime reporting, and understanding coercive control at women’s gyms. Additionally, we educate night-time venues on what constitutes harassment and unacceptable behaviour.”
