Live Facial Recognition (LFR)

When Live Facial Recognition (LFR) will be used

Kent Police will be using LFR in Chatham Town Centre on:

• 11 September 2026
• 12 September 2026

The technology will support ongoing work to keep residents, business and visitors safe.

Signs will be displayed wherever LFR is in use, and officers will be available to answer questions from members of the public.

As part of joint working arrangements, Kent Police will use Essex Police LFR vehicles and equipment for these operations.

Why we use LFR

LFR may be used to help officers:

• find people who are wanted by the police for serious offences
• locate people wanted on warrant or recall to prison
• find missing people where there are serious concerns for their safety or welfare
• identify people suspected of offences that cause significant harm, including violence, disorder, knife crime, sexual offences and drug dealing
• identify people suspected of repeated shoplifting offences
• identify people who are breaching court orders or other restrictions

How LFR works

LFR uses cameras to compare faces seen in a public place against a watchlist of specific individuals that police are looking to locate. The watchlist contains images of people that police are lawfully seeking to locate, such as wanted offenders, missing people or individuals who are subject to court orders or other restrictions.

LFR does not compare everyone it sees against a national database of faces.

If the system identifies a potential match, trained officers carry out further checks before deciding whether any action is necessary. A system alert alone does not result in police action.

Fairness and accuracy

We understand that people may have questions about whether LFR works equally for everyone.

The facial recognition software used has been independently tested across different demographic groups. The results found no statistically significant difference in performance between groups.

We regularly review the technology and its use to help ensure it remains fair, accurate, lawful and proportionate.

Protecting your privacy

Protecting people's privacy is an important part of how we use LFR.

If you pass through an area where LFR is being used and you are not on the watchlist, your image is deleted immediately. It is not kept and is not added to a police database.

Where the system identifies a possible match, the information linked to that alert is deleted as soon as possible and no later than 24 hours after the operation has ended.

CCTV footage recorded during the operation may be kept for up to 31 days, in line with policing and data protection requirements.

We are open about how LFR is used and publish information about its use, outcomes, policies and legal framework.

Choosing not to enter a LFR area

Information about where LFR will be used will normally be published in advance.

Members of the public can choose not to enter an area where LFR is being used. Choosing not to enter the area is not, by itself, a reason for police interaction.