British Transport Police (BTP) ran a six-month trial of live facial recognition (LFR) technology across London railway stations that scanned in excess of half a million faces between February and July, a Freedom of Information (FOI) response has revealed.
The FOI disclosure shows the trial incurred costs of more than £320,000 and required almost 100 hours of police officers’ time. The stated aim of the deployment was to assist officers in identifying offenders and people breaching court orders at some of the capital’s busiest transport hubs.
According to the documents, the trial produced a single alert that was checked against a watchlist of subjects, but that match was found to be incorrect. No arrests were made as a result of the LFR deployment during the six-month period.
The figures provide a detailed accounting of the scale, cost and immediate operational impact of the pilot. Supporters of such systems point to their potential to help locate wanted individuals quickly, while critics have questioned their accuracy, cost-effectiveness and implications for privacy and civil liberties.
The FOI response is likely to feed into ongoing discussions about the future use of biometric surveillance technology in public spaces, as law enforcement agencies and regulators weigh operational benefits against financial costs and public concern.