Festive shoppers to be scanned as Oxford Street gets facial recognition cameras

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It will be among the first areas to have permanent infrastructure scanning faces and comparing them with a watchlist of wanted suspects.

The cameras will likely be installed in December and could be attached to street furniture such as lampposts.

The Metropolitan Police plans to use static, live facial recognition cameras in London’s West End and Soho, which have some of the highest crime rates in London.

The government launched a public consultation in December 2025 to develop a legal framework for law enforcement use of biometrics, facial recognition and similar technologies. 

The Home Office is expected to publish its response later this parliamentary session.

Liberty director Akiko Hart said the installation will mean “thousands of Christmas shoppers will have their faces scanned by this unregulated surveillance technology without being given a choice.”

“Despite a public consultation on facial recognition closing in February, the government has yet to publish its response,” she said.

“Yet permanent, facial recognition cameras are set to be installed in one of the country’s busiest destinations without a legal framework to protect the public’s rights.

“This lack of transparency damages public trust and, until clear laws, proper safeguards and independent oversight are in place, this significant rollout should be paused.”

A Met spokesperson called it “an important tool,” saying: “Static cameras have already been piloted in Croydon and contributed to a 10 per cent reduction in crime and led to 173 arrests.”

The Met has arrested more than 2,000 people using facial recognition since the start of 2024. 

The technology has also started to be deployed at London’s Tube stations.

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