More facial recognition swoops in Croydon and Tooting end in raft of new arrests
Met cops arrested 17 people in Croydon and Tooting during three more Live Facial Recognition operations this week, including a 23-year-old man in Tooting who was found with two rounds of blank ammunition.
A section 18 search warrant was authorised for that evening – last Thursday – where officers found six rounds of ammunition, stolen mobile phones, a large quantity of cannabis and a stolen Oyster card linked to a robbery in 2022. The man remains in police custody.
In addition to the deployment in Tooting on Thursday, there was also a session using the technology in Croydon the same day and on Tuesday.
The technology identifies people who are on a watchlist which can include those who are wanted, have outstanding arrest warrants issued by the court, or to ensure a person is complying with their conditions.
Lindsey Chiswick, Director of Intelligence for the Met and national lead for Facial Recognition, said: “Precision policing is us working efficiently to deliver a high level of service for Londoners.
“We do not keep your data. If there is no match, your data is immediately and automatically deleted in seconds.
“An independent study has confirmed the algorithm we use is accurate. Through this testing we also understand how to use the technology in a fair way with no bias in relation to race or gender.
“Ultimately Live Facial Recognition technology is here to keep Londoners safe through accurately identifying people the police want to talk to.”
The 14 arrests in Croydon were of a registered sex offender for breaching his bail conditions, a woman wanted for assault by beating, a woman wanted for pickpocketing, a man wanted for common assault, a man wanted for fraud, a man wanted for theft, a man wanted for breaching a court order and another wanted for breaching the conditions of his tag.
There were further arrests of a man wanted for breaching his restraining order, a man wanted for burglary, a man and woman wanted for theft, a man wanted for threatening behaviour and a woman wanted for obstructing a constable.
The three arrests in Tooting were of man wanted for possession of points and blades – as mentioned above – a man wanted for racially aggravated harassment and man wanted for breach of tag conditions.
In Croydon on Tuesday, officers assisting with the deployment also arrested three other men for possession of knives.
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