A Green Party councillor in London has ignited controversy by sharing the precise location of a Metropolitan Police van equipped with Live Facial Recognition (LFR) technology. Hau-Yu Tam, a cabinet member for sanctuary and healing at Lewisham Council, posted a map on social media showing the van's deployment in Deptford on Tuesday.
The post, originally from Lewisham Anti-Raids, included a warning: "Avoid the area if you can and warn others - if you can see the van, the cameras can see you." LFR technology uses AI and mobile CCTV cameras to compare faces of passers-by with watchlists of individuals wanted for various crimes, including those failing to appear in court or breaching orders related to stalking and violence.
Critics, including Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp, accused Tam of aiding criminals. "The Greens may not like live facial recognition, but we can recognise them for what they are," Philp stated. "Lewisham deserves a council more interested in catching criminals than protecting them." He added that LFR has the potential to revolutionize policing, similar to DNA evidence, by identifying wanted individuals in large crowds.
Martin Gallagher, a former police superintendent and counter-terrorism expert, described Tam's actions as "shameful." He argued that elected officials have a duty to uphold law and order and that Tam's post provided assistance to those sought by police for serious crimes, effectively telling "murderers, rapists and burglars how to avoid the police."
Tam defended her actions, stating that policing operates by consent and that there are "many reasons" why individuals might not wish to have their faces scanned without notice. She also raised concerns about the limited legislation governing LFR use and documented issues with racial bias in the technology, particularly in diverse areas like Lewisham. "My priority is making sure people of all backgrounds are safe in our community," she said.
Live Facial Recognition technology was first trialled in the UK in 2015, with South Wales Police formally using it at the 2017 UEFA Champions League final. Since then, over a dozen police forces have adopted the technology. According to Met Police supervisor Sergeant Kevin Brown, the LFR system led to the arrest of 574 wanted individuals in 2024, increasing to 1,135 last year, and approximately 900 so far this year.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has proposed increasing the number of LFR mobile vans nationwide to 50. However, civil liberties groups like Liberty express concerns that LFR could infringe on privacy rights, comparing passing a facial recognition camera to showing identification at a checkpoint.
The Metropolitan Police reported that since the beginning of 2024, over 2,100 arrests have been made using LFR, with 24% related to violence against women and girls. This has resulted in more than 1,400 individuals being charged or cautioned, including over 100 sex offenders.
This incident is not the first time Tam has faced scrutiny. She previously drew criticism for using the term "coconuts" in a deleted social media post discussing then-Justice Secretary David Lammy's comments on benefits. The term is considered an offensive racial slur. Tam also retweeted posts that equated Zionism with Nazism and expressed pride in a barrister involved in an unsuccessful effort to remove Hamas from a list of proscribed organizations.