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Man arrested in Peterborough by police using facial recognition

BBC Published Jun 29, 2026 Reviewed Jul 3, 2026 ✓ Reviewed by citations.press editors
Citation-ready fact
On 19 June, Cambridgeshire Police scanned 22,000 faces using live facial recognition technology in Peterborough city centre, resulting in two matches against a watchlist and one arrest.
22000 faces · faces scanned2 matches · faces matching watchlist
Cambridgeshire Police, police force
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Citation-ready fact
On 19 May, Cambridgeshire Police scanned 34,000 faces in six hours using facial recognition technology in Peterborough.
34000 faces · faces scanned6 hours · deployment duration
Cambridgeshire Police, police force
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Citation-ready fact
Cambridgeshire Police permanently delete images of people who do not match the facial recognition database straight away.
Cambridgeshire Police, police force
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Citation-ready fact
The man arrested on 19 June had failed to appear in court on suspicion of driving while disqualified.
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Citation-ready fact
Two men wanted for failing to appear in court were arrested during the 19 May facial recognition deployment — one accused of theft and the other of shoplifting.
2 arrests · arrests
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A man was arrested after live facial recognition technology was used in Peterborough city centre.

Cambridgeshire Police used the system in the city for the second time earlier this month.

Of the 22,000 faces scanned on 19 June, two came up as matches against a watchlist, the force said.

The man who was arrested had failed to appear in court on suspicion of driving while disqualified.

The system was first used in Peterborough on 19 May, when police scanned 34,000 faces in six hours.

Two men who were wanted for failing to appear in court were arrested on that occasion – one accused of theft and the other of shoplifting.

Cambridgeshire Police said images of people who did not match the database were permanently deleted straight away.

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