On London’s streets, facial recognition tests the balance between security and liberty

Tourists, shoppers and office workers in a busy London street on an ordinary weekday found themselves part of a digital identity check as live facial recognition cameras scanned faces ​against a police watchlist.

The operation was an example of a technology the Metropolitan Police say is transforming policing, helping officers arrest around 2,500 wanted people since the start of 2024, including suspects accused of violent and sexual offences.