Prospect: UK LFR deployments scan 8.6 million faces in a year as legal framework remains absent

Prospect Magazine has published a detailed analysis of the expansion of live facial recognition in England and Wales, reporting that police forces scanned 8.6 million faces using LFR in the most recent year, up from 4.7 million the year before. The piece notes that no specific law governs police use of FRT; the Home Office consultation that closed in February 2026 is intended to lead to legislation in approximately two years, during which deployments continue to expand. It also highlights that the cost-effectiveness figure cited by the NPCC — that FRT arrests cost 53.9% less than traditional methods — does not account for the cost of the technology or the range of offences involved.

In this domain: Edmonton Police: Corsight AI powers Axon bodycam facial recognition pilot · UK launches £82m biometric Justice ID overhaul after 179 wrongful prison releases in a year · EU EES declared a systemic failure by airline groups