United Kingdom, Kent
Kent Police
Live Facial Recognition
OperationalOfficial publicationPAI-2201D70C
- Body
- Kent Police
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Area
- Kent
- Technology
- Live Facial Recognition
- Supplier
- Not stated in the source
- Programme
- Kent and Essex joint working
- Status
- Operational
In routine use by the named body, on the evidence of a public source. - Stage
- In use now
- Since
- September 2026
- Legal basis
- Not stated in the source
- Oversight
- Not stated in the source
- Evidence
- Official publication
Police force, government department or public body publication - Source
- Kent Police, facial recognition page
- Last checked
- Record code
PAI-2201D70C
Notes
Kent Police uses Essex Police live facial recognition vehicles and equipment under joint working arrangements, starting in Chatham town centre in September 2026. Images of people not on the watchlist are deleted immediately and match data within 24 hours. Reported arrest figures for the first deployment disagree (two in one account, 18 in another) and are not recorded.
Other systems used by Kent Police
| Deployment | Country | Supplier | Since | Status | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kent PolicePlace-Based Predictive Policing | United KingdomKent | PredPol | 2013 | Discontinued |
Live Facial Recognition elsewhere in United Kingdom
See them in the tracker| Deployment | Country | Supplier | Since | Status | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| British Transport PoliceLive Facial Recognition | United KingdomLondon rail and Underground network | NEC (NeoFace M40) | 2026 | Trial | |
| Metropolitan PoliceLive Facial Recognition | United KingdomLondon | NEC (NeoFace) | 2020 | Operational | |
| South Wales PoliceLive Facial Recognition | United KingdomWales | NEC (NeoFace) | 2017 | Operational | |
| Essex PoliceLive Facial Recognition | United KingdomForce area | Corsight AI (Apollo 4), with Digital Barriers | 2024 | Operational | |
| West Yorkshire PoliceLive and Retrospective Facial Recognition | United KingdomForce area | Not specified in source | 2025 | Operational | |
| Greater Manchester PoliceLive and Retrospective Facial Recognition | United KingdomForce area | Not specified in source | 2025 | Operational | |
| Police ScotlandLive Facial Recognition | United KingdomScotland | Not applicable -- not yet deployed | 2024 | Proposed | |
| Merseyside PoliceLive Facial Recognition | United KingdomMerseyside, including Southport and Birkenhead town centres | — | 2025 | Operational | |
| Thames Valley PoliceLive Facial Recognition | United KingdomThames Valley, first deployed in Oxford city centre | — | 2025 | Operational | |
| Northamptonshire PoliceLive Facial Recognition | United KingdomNorthamptonshire | — | 2023 | Trial | |
| Bedfordshire PoliceLive Facial Recognition | United KingdomBedfordshire | NEC (NeoFace Watch), according to NEC | 2025 | Operational | |
| Surrey PoliceLive Facial Recognition | United KingdomSurrey | NEC Software | 2025 | Operational |