Merseyside Police arrested two men on March 24 after deploying live facial recognition technology for the first time in the Wirral, setting up cameras on Grange Road in Birkenhead town centre.
Merseyside is the metropolitan county centred on Liverpool in northwest England. Birkenhead is its largest town on the Wirral Peninsula, a stretch of land across the River Mersey from Liverpool, and Grange Road is Birkenhead’s main pedestrian shopping street. The Wirral is one of the most densely populated areas of the county, making it a significant operational choice for the force’s first live facial recognition deployment.
Officers engaged with members of the public throughout the operation, explaining how the technology works and addressing questions as the system scanned faces against a watchlist of wanted individuals. Sex offenders were also flagged during the deployment, with officers approaching those individuals for further checks as they passed through the scanning zone.
Merseyside Police said the Birkenhead operation was part of its ongoing commitment to using technology to keep communities safe. The force joins a growing number of UK constabularies that have now conducted live facial recognition operations, including the Metropolitan Police in London, South Wales Police, and most recently Norfolk Constabulary, which scanned more than 50,000 faces during its first deployment in Norwich city centre.
The rollout of live facial recognition across UK forces has accelerated through 2025 and into 2026. Cumbria Police conducted its first live facial recognition operation at Brunton Park earlier this year, reflecting the technology’s reach beyond large metropolitan forces into regional constabularies. Forces across the north of England and the Midlands have also explored or trialled LFR deployments in recent months, with several citing positive operational outcomes.
Expansion has proceeded alongside scrutiny. Essex Police suspended its live facial recognition programme after an independent evaluation found that Black individuals were significantly more likely to be flagged by the system compared with other groups. The force said it would update its software before resuming, and several Members of Parliament called for a broader pause on new deployments pending stronger legal safeguards and independent oversight mechanisms.
The debate over governance has drawn in the UK’s data protection regulator. The Information Commissioner’s Office has argued that data protection law must remain central to police facial recognition governance, stating that forces must demonstrate the technology commands public trust and operates within existing legal standards. The ICO’s position forms part of a broader conversation about whether current legislation is sufficient to govern the rapid expansion of biometric surveillance by UK law enforcement.
Sources: Liverpool Echo, Wirral Globe
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By the ID Tech Editorial Team
