Facial recognition cameras to trial at London Underground stations for four months

British Transport Police (BTP) will deploy live facial recognition cameras at selected London Underground stations as part of a four-month trial. The cameras will scan passengers’ faces and compare them against a police watchlist of individuals wanted for serious offences, including sexual assault, robbery and knife crime. The trial, supported by Transport for London (TfL), aims to assess whether the technology can help tackle violence against women and girls on the network.

How the trial will work

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The cameras will operate in clearly signed areas of stations, allowing passengers to decide whether to pass through them. BTP will select locations based on operational intelligence and crime data, rather than installing the technology permanently at every station. If a passenger’s face matches someone on the watchlist, police officers will investigate further. Images of those who do not match will be deleted immediately.

Siwan Hayward, TfL’s Director of Security, Policing and Enforcement, said the trial is part of broader efforts to make the network safer. She told ianVisits that facial recognition could provide police with an additional tool to identify individuals wanted for serious offences quickly. Hayward emphasised that the trial will be conducted in a targeted and proportionate way, with strict safeguards in place.

Everyone should be able to travel without fear of harassment, intimidation or violence. Tackling violence against women and girls and preventing sexual offending on our network remains a key priority.

Siwan Hayward, TfL Director of Security, Policing and Enforcement

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Safeguards and concerns

TfL and BTP have stated that the trial will comply with privacy, data protection, equality and human rights legislation. The organisations have consulted stakeholders on the deployment and will continue to engage with them during and after the trial. However, the use of facial recognition technology remains controversial. Critics have raised concerns about privacy, accuracy, potential bias and the broader implications of biometric surveillance in public spaces.

The trial will run for four months, after which TfL and BTP will assess its impact. The results will inform any decision on whether to expand the use of the technology across the Underground network. It is unclear which stations will be involved, as BTP has not disclosed specific locations.

What happens next

The trial is expected to begin this month. Passengers will see signs in areas where the cameras are in use. TfL and BTP will evaluate the trial’s effectiveness and publish their findings after the four-month period. Residents and advocacy groups will have the opportunity to provide feedback during the trial, though no formal public consultation has been announced.