British Transport Police to trial live facial recognition technology at London railway stations

British Transport Police (BTP) is set to trial the use of Live Facial Recognition (LFR) technology at selected railway stations in London. The six-month pilot, starting in the coming weeks, aims to assess LFR’s effectiveness in improving public safety and gauge public response to the technology.

Members of the public will be informed of deployments online and via social media before they take place. The pilot will be intelligence-led, targeting crime hotspots where data indicates a higher likelihood of high-harm offenders passing through. The initiative does not relate to the recent major incident at Huntingdon.

BTP said the project follows extensive research and planning and forms part of its commitment to using innovative technology to identify and apprehend individuals wanted for serious criminal offences. Members of the public may already be familiar with LFR from roadside deployments by other forces such as the Metropolitan Police and South Wales Police.

Policing the railways presents unique challenges, with a transient population and over three million journeys taken daily across Great Britain. Cameras will be temporarily placed on station concourses, accompanied by highly visible signage and QR codes for public feedback and information.

The system captures live footage of people passing by and compares faces against an intelligence-led database of wanted offenders. If a match occurs, an alert is generated and reviewed by an officer, who will carry out further checks to determine whether a suspect has been identified and decide whether an arrest is necessary.

All processes will comply with applicable legal requirements. People who prefer not to enter the recognition zone will have alternative routes, and images of anyone not on the authorised database will be deleted immediately and permanently.

Chief Superintendent Chris Casey, BTP’s senior officer overseeing the project, said: “As the police force responsible for protecting the railways in England, Scotland and Wales, we take our commitment to keeping the travelling public safe incredibly seriously. We want them to know that as well as actively patrolling and investigating, we’re investing in technology that is going to make them safer too.

“We’ve seen great results from our policing partners when deploying LFR, and we’re confident that our use of the technology will enable us to achieve similar results. I can assure anyone concerned about their privacy that we’re absolutely committed to using LFR ethically and in line with privacy safeguards. Deployments will comply with all relevant legal and regulatory standards, and oversight will include internal governance and external engagement with ethics and independent advisory groups.

“When the pilot is complete, we’ll conduct a full assessment to review outcomes, identify lessons learned, and inform future planning. I encourage anyone who encounters our use of LFR when the trial begins to engage with us so we can make sure that we’re using it in the best way and helping to make our railways as safe as possible.”