Partner Maria Theodoulou comments on the Metropolitan Police’s use of live facial recognition, in Computer Weekly

Partner Maria Theodoulou comments on the Metropolitan Police’s announcement that it will deploy static live facial-recognition (LFR) cameras across the West End and Soho by the end of 2026.

Maria’s comments were published in Computer Weekly, 24 June 2026.

“The push for expanded facial recognition sits uneasily with the basic legal safeguards that are meant to govern state surveillance. This technology amounts to real-time biometric surveillance of the public, and any deployment must meet strict tests of necessity and proportionality.

“Misidentification, bias and opaque algorithms create real dangers, particularly when there are limited mechanisms to challenge or scrutinise decisions. Without enforceable oversight and consequences for non-compliance, facial recognition risks becoming another unchecked surveillance tool.

“Public trust depends on ensuring that no authority operates beyond effective legal control. Unless the government introduces robust, enforceable regulation, widening police use of facial recognition will undermine confidence in both policing and the rule of law.”