It’s been deployed more than 80 times across the county

More than 100 people hoping to evade arrest or court have been nicked since Beds Police brought in Live Facial Recognition (LFR) last year.

The highly controversial system scans people's faces in public spaces in real-time and compares them against police watchlists.

Some argue it breaches privacy laws and has a history of misidentifications.

However, after being deployed more than 80 times across the county - generating over 260 alerts - habitual knife carriers and domestic abusers have been caught.

It was also used at major events including the Bedford River Festival and Luton Carnival, with the innovative technology leading to 105 arrests for various offences including a man wanted on suspicion of firearm possession.

Just last month three people were arrested during a deployment in Bedford, all were wanted for outstanding court warrants. And a further arrest was made in Luton for a man wanted for child sexual offences – when arrested he was found with cannabis.

When alerted to a potential match, officers are notified via secure devices to review the match and ascertain whether it is a true match. Officers will then engage with the individual and conduct further assessments to confirm their identification before taking appropriate action.

Sergeant Kim Coates, LFR operational lead, said: "Having LFR in our town centres allows us to take a proactive approach to policing, helping us locate and apprehend those who cause the most harm while providing reassurance to the wider community.

"The regular deployments increase our visibility in our town centres but also provide additional support to local policing teams. Officers are available to respond to incidents, assist colleagues and engage directly with members of the public.

"Engaging with the public is an important part of every deployment. We regularly speak to residents, explain how the technology works and address any questions or concerns about the use and retention of biometric data.

“Live Facial Recognition is ultimately about protecting people. While it helps us identify individuals wanted by police, it can also assist in locating vulnerable or missing people, which can be particularly valuable in busy town centres and at large-scale public events.”

Where no match is made against a watchlist, the biometric data captured is deleted immediately.