Met Police trialling use of handheld facial recognition technology, mayor confirms

The Met Police website says the force does not use Operator-Initiated Facial Recognition (OIFR). Photograph: Francois Olwage

The Mayor of London has confirmed the Metropolitan Police Service is will trial the use of handheld facial recognition devices following questioning by Zoë Garbett.

Sadiq Khan confirmed this week that Met officers would be given Operator-Initiated Facial Recognition (OIFR) technology which can be used to scan and identify individuals on the spot.

Probed by the Green Party London assembly member, the mayor admitted the force would be taking part in a six-month involving around 100 devices and approximately £763,000 in allocated funding. According to a Met Police spokesperson, the trial has not yet begun.

Little information about the upcoming trial has been made publicly available and on its website, the Met states it does not currently use OIFR tech.

“The Met keeps its need to use Facial Recognition technologies under review but does not presently use Operator Initiated Facial Recognition”, the page ‘Facial Recognition Technology’ reads.

“Further details about Operator Initiated Facial Recognition can be found in the Met’s Live Facial Recognition Policy document where we set out the different types of Facial Recognition technology and how we refer to them”.

The use of Live Facial Recognition (LFR) technology by police has proven controversial.

Earlier this month, Garbett – who is also a councillor for Dalston ward – published a report in which she raised concerns LFR disproportionately targeted Black and brown communities.

Garbett published a report into Live Facial Recognition (LFR) tech earlier this month. Photograph: Charlotte Gray

In response to the news, the assembly member said: “It’s shocking that I had to force the Mayor to disclose that they are trailing operator-initiated facial recognition technology. Londoners deserve transparency when it comes to such a fundamental expansion of police powers. 

“What’s even more concerning is the Met’s website explicitly says they do not use this technology.

“In Britain, no one has to identify themselves to police without very good reason and this unregulated technology threatens that fundamental right. Live facial recognition subjects everyone to surveillance, which goes against the democratic principle that people should not be monitored unless there is suspicion of wrongdoing. 

“With the government’s consultation only just closed, pressing ahead with expansion makes a mockery of the process. The rapid and unchecked deployment of this technology must stop and robust protections must be put in place to safeguard our rights”.

The Met told the Citizen OIFR uses clear legal powers and is intended to help identify people  photograph people to help identify them and any risks they pose. Clear oversight, transparency, proportionality and maintaining public trust remain central to how all facial recognition tools are deployed.

Lindsey Chiswick, the Met’s lead for facial recognition, said: “We are set to trial operator‑initiated facial recognition, an innovative tool which will help our officers take photos to help confirm the identities of people quickly and accurately, avoiding the need to detain people for longer than needed. 

“This will initially be rolled out to a small number of officers while we test the technology. If an individual has their photo taken and there is no match, then their biometric information will be deleted straight away”.

A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said: “The Met are leading the way using the latest technology, including Live Facial Recognition to tackle violence and criminality in our capital, with more than 1,000 wanted criminals, including rapists, violent robbers, and paedophiles, arrested through the use of this technology since 2024.

“As part of a new six-month trial, operator-initiated facial recognition technology will be used during a limited number of police stops, so that officers can carry out identity checks on location rather than taking suspects back to a police station, helping save valuable time, money and resources.

“The Mayor is absolutely clear on the importance of public trust and that the right checks and balances must be in place for the use of this technology. Sadiq is committed to ensuring the Met is open and transparent around where, when, why and how Live Facial Recognition technology is used”.