Met Police to Install Permanent Facial Recognition on Oxford Street

The Metropolitan Police plan to install permanent live facial recognition (LFR) cameras across London's West End, Soho, and Oxford Street by Christmas. Moving away from previous trials that utilized temporary vans, the police will attach fixed cameras to street furniture to scan pedestrians and compare their faces against a watchlist of wanted suspects.

Mayor Sadiq Khan is coordinating the rollout with the Oxford Street Development Corporation. The initiative integrates surveillance into the broader effort to transform Oxford Street into a safe, pedestrianized destination. The Mayor's office argues the technology is essential for arresting dangerous criminals and lowering crime rates in Westminster.

Human rights organizations have condemned the expansion. Liberty and Big Brother Watch describe the move as an escalation of routine public surveillance, raising concerns about the intrusive nature of remote scanning and the potential for racial discrimination within the algorithms.