United Kingdom, Cheshire
Cheshire Constabulary
Live Facial Recognition
OperationalJournalismPAI-22B461BE
- Body
- Cheshire Constabulary
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Area
- Cheshire
- Technology
- Live Facial Recognition
- Supplier
- Not stated in the source
- Status
- Operational
In routine use by the named body, on the evidence of a public source. - Stage
- In use now
- Since
- July 2026
- Legal basis
- Not stated in the source
- Oversight
- Not stated in the source
- Evidence
- Journalism
Named reporting by a reputable outlet - Source
- ID Tech, 15 July 2026
- Last checked
- Record code
PAI-22B461BE
Notes
First deployment on 11 July 2026 in Chester city centre under Operation Vigilant, the first of four planned, working with live facial recognition operators from Greater Manchester Police. The first Warrington deployment followed in October 2026 (regional reporting). The source does not say whether the equipment is the force's own.
Other systems used by Cheshire Constabulary
| Deployment | Country | Supplier | Since | Status | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheshire ConstabularyRetrospective facial recognition (Police National Database search) | United KingdomCheshire | — | 2024 | Operational | |
| Cheshire ConstabularyMicrosoft Copilot (generative AI) | United KingdomCheshire | Microsoft | — | Operational | |
| Cheshire ConstabularyAI stalking-behaviour flagging tool | United KingdomCheshire | — | — | In development |
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 |