Big Brother cop camera leads to nearly 200 arrests in crime-ridden UK town
Static facial recognition cameras began spotting the people courts could not reach, exposing how close to danger people are in everyday life.
Suspected rapists, kidnappers and a woman who had been on the run for 20 years were among almost 200 arrests made in a police live recognition operation that saw static cameras deployed on UK streets for the first time. New results, released today by the Metropolitan Police, show that during the six-month pilot, crime in Croydon fell by 10.5% compared to the same period last year. The biggest reduction was seen in violence against women and girls’ offences, which were down by 21%.
Those arrested included people wanted for kidnap, rape and serious sexual assault, which senior officers say provides “further evidence” of the effectiveness of live facial recognition (LFR) at removing dangerous offenders from UK streets. LFR deployments typically require the use of a dedicated van which houses both cameras and the computer equipment required to use them.
Met Police arrests after Live Facial Recognition pilot in Croydon
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But for the duration of the pilot – which ran from October 2025 to March 2026 – cameras were instead mounted to existing infrastructure such as lampposts, allowing officers to run deployments in a more agile way.
Officers used the static cameras as part of 24 separate operations and made 173 arrests – the equivalent of one arrest every 35 minutes.
Arrests linked to the pilot include:
A 36-year-old woman who had been unlawfully at large for more than 20 years and was wanted for failing to appeal at court for an assault in 2004.
A 31-year-old man who was wanted for voyeurism for more than six months.
A 41-year-old man who was wanted for rape in relation to an incident which took place in November in Croydon.
Lindsey Chiswick, national and Met lead for live facial recognition, said: “These results show why live facial recognition is such a powerful tool when it’s used carefully, openly and in the right places. Crime in this area is down by more than 10%, and the public can see the difference.
“This technology is helping us find people wanted by the courts, identify serious offenders quickly and focus our resources where they make the biggest impact, all with exceptional accuracy.
“We will continue using static cameras in Croydon as part of our regular live facial recognition deployments which play a vital part in keeping London safe.”
The operation also led to 37 arrests for breaches of court‑imposed conditions. The cameras help officers quickly identify individuals who are subject to restrictions designed to protect the public, giving them the opportunity to stop those involved and ensure compliance.
Importantly, 61% of the offences linked to arrests were committed in Croydon, highlighting the pilot’s ability to keep hotspot areas safe.
About the pilot
The pilot used static LFR cameras mounted on existing street furniture at two locations at the north and south ends of Croydon’s high street.
The system operates in the same way as van‑based deployments, but camera feeds are monitored remotely. This frees up specialist vans for use elsewhere and expands the Met’s overall LFR capability.
Cameras are only activated during deployments, when officers are present on the ground.
Specialist LFR officers and neighbourhood policing teams are deployed throughout each operation to engage with the public and respond to alerts.
Each deployment uses a bespoke, intelligence‑led watchlist, created no more than 24 hours in advance and deleted immediately afterwards, in line with policy.
Croydon was selected due to its status as a crime hotspot and the success of previous deployments.
The Met continues to run engagement sessions with Croydon residents and councillors, explaining how LFR works, the safeguards in place, and how deployments are shaped by local intelligence.
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More than 470,000 people have walked past the camera and during this time there has been just one false alert. This resulted in a brief interaction with officers, who swiftly identified the alert was false and allowed the person who had been stopped to continue on their way.
No one has ever been arrested as a result of a false alert from LFR.
On Tuesday, 7 October 2025, Nilton Darame, 25, of Loughborough Street, Lambeth was alerted by the static cameras in Croydon.
Darame was found to be in breach of tag conditions, in relation to an intentional strangulation and two counts of assault on an emergency worker on Monday, 8 September 2025 and arrested. He was sentenced at Croydon Crown Court on Thursday, 8 January to 18 months’ imprisonment.
A month later, at a static deployment on Friday, 21 November 2025, Kastriot Krrashi, 35, of Dingwall Road, Croydon, was stopped by officers for being wanted on suspicion of breaching his conditions as a registered sex offender. He was arrested, and sentenced at Wood Green Crown Court on Friday, 13 February to six months’ imprisonment.
On Friday, 16 January, Neville Cohen, 55 (25.05.1970) of no fixed address, was stopped by officers for being wanted for failing to comply with a condition on a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) which required him to attend Croydon Police Station in October 2025. He attempted to flee from officers and was arrested and later sentenced to four months’ imprisonment on Saturday, 17 January at Croydon Magistrates’ Court.
