LONDON — Britain will create an independent watchdog with power to oversee police use of facial recognition technology, the Home Office said on Nov. 4.
The watchdog could potentially stop forces from using the technology if they fail to comply, the Home Office said.
Key facts
- A new law would require police use to be “intelligence led and proportionate,” the Home Office said.
- Police could use it only when officers believe wanted people could be present in an area, the department said.
- The technology must be tested for bias by age, gender or race, it said.
- A separate legal code would cover businesses that use facial recognition, including shops, it said.
- The government said £11 million will triple the number of live facial recognition vans.
What the Home Secretary said
“Facial recognition technology has been the biggest breakthrough for catching criminals since DNA matching,” Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said.
“It is right we put in place clear laws to ensure that the use of this technology is watertight,” she said.
Static cameras in Croydon led to 173 arrests between October 2025 and March 2026, the Home Office said. It said the Metropolitan Police reported a 10.5% drop in overall crime there. Brit Brief put the drop at 10%.
Criticism
The announcement followed an outcry by members of Parliament, Brit Brief reported. Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy had called for the rollout to be suspended, the outlet reported.
“Bias and inaccuracy is still all too common,” Ribeiro-Addy told The Mirror, Brit Brief reported. The Liberal Democrats called for a pause until legislation is in place, the outlet reported.
Essex Police paused its cameras earlier this year after a study found more Black people were identified, Brit Brief reported.
Related coverage
Sources
- Home Office, GOV.UK, “Stronger laws for police using facial recognition technology,” Nov. 4, 2026
- Brit Brief, “New watchdog and laws to govern police and shop facial recognition use,” Nov. 4, 2026
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