Met Police have announced that they will be deploying Live Facial Recognition (LFR) technology across crime hotspots in Harrow today, Thursday, 26th September 2024.
The aim of the initiative is to locate individuals on police watchlists who are wanted for criminal activity, safeguarding vulnerable people, and preventing crime.
Images and footage sent to Harrow Online this afternoon show some of the cameras set up in Harrow Town Centre, just next to Katie’s Statue on St Ann’s Road.
LFR will be used as a real-time tool to help officers identify and locate suspects, and assist with identifying individuals providing false information or those unable to communicate their identity.
Harrow MPS posted on X, “On Thursday 26th September 2024 we are deploying Live Facial Recognition Technology to crime hotspots in Harrow. The people we are seeking to locate at crime hotspots are set out in our policy.”
This technology is also intended for retrospective use, where it will help match individuals to images stored in databases after an event.
The deployment of LFR has generated attention due to its direct impact on public safety, with the police assuring that this step is part of ongoing efforts to enhance crime prevention.
Chris Mitchell is the founder and editor of Harrow Online, Harrow’s leading local news platform.
He launched Harrow Online in 2010 as a Facebook page sharing local news and information. Since then, it has grown into a trusted source for breaking news, crime, council decisions, planning, transport, business and community stories across the borough.
Harrow Online reaches hundreds of thousands of readers each month and has a social media audience of more than 200,000 followers.
For news tips, press releases or enquiries, contact Chris at info@harrowonline.org.
