Police in Britain’s first ‘Big Brother town’ are catching criminals every 34 MINUTES using facial recognition cameras
It has been revealed that police in Britain’s first ‘Big Brother town’ have been catching criminals every 34 minutes and using facial recognition cameras to identify fugitive suspects for 20 years.
Just weeks after the government unveiled controversial plans to roll out facial recognition technology in cities, towns and even villages across the country, the Mail can reveal the surprising results in the first town to use permanent cameras.
In October, Scotland Yard installed fixed cameras on lampposts at the entrance and exit of Croydon town center after the town was identified as a ‘crime hotspot’.
As a result, nicknamed Britain’s ‘Big Brother town’, the cameras look like ordinary CCTV, but are turned on periodically to catch thousands of wanted criminals on the watch list.
On average, a suspect is arrested every 34 minutes while the cameras are running.
In one instance, an alleged violent criminal who had been on the run for more than two decades was captured.
The woman had been wanted for an assault since 2004, but all previous attempts to find her had failed.
As a result, a man wanted on suspicion of kidnapping was also captured.
Police received footage of the arrests after facial recognition. On average, a suspect is arrested every 34 minutes while cameras are running
Police in Britain’s first ‘Big Brother town’ are catching criminals every 34 minutes and using facial recognition cameras to identify suspects who have been on the run for 20 years.
So far the police have detained 100 people; a third of these were for violent crimes against women and girls, including strangulation and sexual assault.
Since the cameras were turned on, the crime rate has decreased compared to November last year.
So far the police have detained 100 people; a third of these were for violent crimes against women and girls, including strangulation and sexual assault.
Others include those recalled to prison and those wanted for theft and possession of offensive weapons.
The Metropolitan Police is one of the first forces to pioneer the technology, but previous deployments have relied on parking a camera van for several hours in key locations such as Oxford Street.
Analysis shows that compared to van deployments, lamppost cameras halve the average time it takes to arrest criminals once they have wandered around as intended.
Since October, more than 146,000 faces of members of the public walking down Croydon’s high street have been scanned in 13 deployments.
During this time, the cameras generated more than 132 alerts.
In a mission lasting less than two hours, police made an average arrest every 13 minutes.
The cameras resulted in a 12 per cent drop in retail and violent crime as well as sexual offenses in the local area.
They work by taking digital images of passing pedestrians and feeding them into a computer using biometric software to measure facial features.
The footage is compared to a watch list, and if a match is detected, officers are sent an alert to investigate and consider an arrest.
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In October, Scotland Yard installed fixed cameras on lampposts at the entrance and exit of Croydon town center after the town was designated a ‘crime hotspot’ (file image from police in Croydon)
The cameras resulted in a 12 per cent drop in retail and violent crime as well as sexual offenses in the local area (Croydon File image)
If a member of the public is not wanted by the police, their biometrics will be deleted immediately.
Meth tests show the technology is so accurate that only one in approximately 33,000 scans results in a false alert.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp called for the cameras to be installed in every city center after seeing a dramatic drop in crime rates in the region, which has been plagued by theft, anti-social behavior and drug dealing.
The Croydon South MP said: ‘Almost free arrests. These are regular cameras, unlike vans, which are a scarce resource.
‘I spoke to the residents and explained to them that their footage was deleted immediately afterward and if we caught more wanted criminals as a result, people were absolutely happy about that. This is a trade-off that the vast majority are willing to accept.
‘People are noticing that crime is down, people are feeling safer.’
The government is currently consulting on the use of facial recognition after announcing plans to roll it out across the UK.
Smaller forces, such as Hertfordshire Police, are also launching their own consultations on the use of the technology.
But some campaigners have raised concerns about state surveillance from groups such as Big Brother Watch, saying: ‘Live facial recognition turns every passerby into a walking barcode and treats us all like a nation of suspects.’
Lindsey Chiswick, head of facial recognition at the Met and nationally, said: ‘The increase in Live Facial Recognition (LFR) deployments in London crime hotspots is driven by its proven effectiveness and success – with more than 1,700 dangerous criminals removed from London’s streets since the start of 2024, including those wanted for rape and child abuse.
‘That’s why we’re trialling an innovative new pilot in Croydon where cameras are temporarily mounted on street furniture rather than vans. ‘This allows us to explore a different way to use facial recognition remotely and more efficiently.’
