SEVEN more arrests have been made by Essex Police due to their Live Facial Recognition technology as 25 people have been arrested - including those wanted for attempted murder - with no incorrect alerts being made. 

Essex Police made seven more arrests due to Live Facial Recognition (LFR) technology which scans CCTV camera feeds for faces against a database of know people of interest – a watch list.

The technology works by immediately deleting the image of those not on the pre-determined watch list automatically – not storing the faces of the majority of the public.

Essex Police vans were deployed in the High Street five times between October 13 and 21 as part of our response to incidents of disorder in the city.


The arrests included those in connection with investigations into attempted murder, domestic violence, assault, drug supply and shoplifting.


It means since the first use of the technology at the Clacton Airshow in August, the LFR vans have led to 25 arrests and further “no incorrect alerts” to the police force.

Rollout - Five positive alerts and three arrests were made in the Clacton Airshow in August, the first use of the technology since its trialsRollout - Five positive alerts and three arrests were made in the Clacton Airshow in August, the first use of the technology since its trials (Image: Essex Police) Chief Inspector Dave Browning, District Commander for Southend, said: “This was a really successful deployment and led to suspects wanted in connection to serious offences being brought into custody.


“Live Facial Recognition has proved a valuable tool at locating and arresting suspects and is proving to be a good investment in our communities.


“And our use of it is part of our commitment here in Southend to stamp out serious violence and deal with those responsible.


“There have so far been no incorrect alerts in the 17 deployments we’ve had to date which also shows the technology is working really well.”


Chief Insp Browning added: “LFR is targeted to focus on specific people we’re trying to locate.


“The technology utilises CCTV camera feeds to LFR software to scan faces against a predetermined database or ‘watch list’ of people of interest. 


“The scanning of an image takes less than a second. The data/image of those not on the watchlist is automatically and immediately deleted and not stored.


“When there is a positive match, appropriate action will be taken by officers on the ground to confirm ID and then assess what the next action is to be taken.”