The Metropolitan Police is grappling with a significant budget shortfall of £260 million, resulting in cuts to specialized units and a reduction of 1,400 officers and 300 staff.

In response to these budget constraints, the force is undergoing a restructuring aimed at enhancing public order crime teams and addressing rising crime rates.

This restructuring comes amid a surge in shoplifting offenses, which reached a record high in 2024, surpassing 500,000 incidents for the first time.

To combat these rising crime rates, Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan announced a 50% increase in police presence in the West End, a vital economic area.

In addition to increasing police presence, officers are being reassigned to focus on street crime, particularly in the West End, where incidents of phone theft and shoplifting have risen.

As part of its strategy, the Metropolitan Police plans to more than double its use of live facial recognition (LFR) technology, increasing deployments from four to up to ten times per week.

Deployment of live facial recognition vans has already escalated significantly, from 63 times in 2023 to at least 256 times in 2024, reflecting a growing reliance on this technology.

The police claim that LFR has led to 1,000 arrests, with 773 resulting in charges or cautions, but this raises concerns about privacy and potential misuse of data.

Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley defended the use of LFR, stating it is employed responsibly to target serious offenders, including those wanted for violent crimes.

However, critics warn that without strict regulatory oversight, the expansion of LFR could lead to invasive monitoring practices, particularly affecting communities already wary of police presence.

Advocates for civil liberties, like Charlie Whelton from Liberty, emphasize the need for robust safeguards and independent oversight to protect individual rights amid the expansion of facial recognition technology.

Overall, the situation underscores the necessity for the tech industry to establish ethical guidelines and oversight mechanisms before implementing invasive technologies, balancing innovation with regulation.