Live facial recognition cameras deployed in Wakefield city centre have led to the arrest of 82 suspects since November 2025, West Yorkshire Police has said.
The technology compares faces captured on a live camera feed against an authorised watchlist of people wanted by courts or police, or identified as posing a risk to the public.
How the technology works
Chief Superintendent Stuart Bainbridge, district commander of Wakefield Police, described the cameras as "an incredibly useful tool" for keeping communities safe. He said the cameras "are there to pick out persons already logged on police systems as wanted by the courts, wanted for arrest or as posing a risk to the public".
Images of ordinary members of the public are deleted almost instantly, according to the force.
Types of arrests made
Arrests in recent weeks have included suspects wanted for serious domestic offences and retail crime. The cameras have also helped officers find missing and vulnerable people during their 10 months of operation.
Local support with safeguards
Deputy leader of Wakefield Council John Thomas said he had previously had concerns about live facial recognition but, with appropriate safeguards in place, described it as "a valuable tool to keep communities safe whilst not impinging on our civil liberties".
Chief Inspector Dan Tillett, LFR specialist at the force, said the technology acted as "an extra pair of high tech eyes" to assist officers in spotting people evading the law. More deployments will soon be taking place to maximise use of this technology in helping make communities safer, he added.
