Surrey Police’s Live Facial Recognition Operates in Guildford High Street

Published on: 17 Dec, 2025
Updated on: 19 Dec, 2025

Surrey Police’s Live Facial Recognition. Ben Darnton

Shoppers in the High Street on Saturday (December 13) may have spotted Surrey Police’s Live Facial Recognition (LFR) van operating for the first time in Guildford.

The police later shared the results of the deployment:

A 37-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of non-fatal strangulation and two instances of child cruelty after being positively matched to the police watchlist.
Two registered sex offenders were also flagged by the technology and were stopped to ensure conditions were being compiled with for their Sexual Harm Prevention Orders.

Guildford Borough Commander Inspector Blaine Rafferty said; “We are really pleased with the results from our first deployment of LFR in Guildford and the technology is just one part of the work we are doing to tackle crime and keep our town safe.

“The technology is a vital tool to help us find people on a pre-determined watchlist. This will include wanted people like sex offenders and perpetrators of domestic abuse.

“If your face is not on the watchlist, the technology blurs your face before it even goes onto the camera feed and is then deleted immediately. It is not retained in any way and is not stored on any database.

“Officers on deployment with the van are also more than happy to chat to you about the technology and answer any questions, so if you see us out and about, please do come over to say hello.”

Although not directly linked to the technology, police engagement officers who were out with the van also dealt with a 50-year-old man for shoplifting and issued a warning to a woman for begging.