Kent Police have arrested 18 people during a two-day deployment of Live Facial Recognition technology in Chatham town centre.
Supported by two camera vans and local officers, the operation formed part of the ongoing ‘Clear, Hold, Build’ initiative designed to tackle local crime and deter offenders.
The facial recognition system directly led to 11 arrests, including individuals wanted for violence, theft, and breaches of court conditions by registered sex offenders.
One man was also detained following the seizure of a knuckle duster, while officers checked several other registered sex offenders to confirm compliance with Sexual Harm Prevention Orders. A further seven proactive arrests were carried out by patrolling officers in the area.
Every one of the 27 alerts generated by the cameras proved accurate upon secondary street checks by officers.
Chief Inspector Gary Woodward, Medway’s District Commander, confirmed that image data for members of the public not on the specific watch list was immediately and automatically deleted. Officers and PCSOs also engaged with nearly 200 residents, business owners, and shoppers, with public feedback to the deployment reported as largely positive.