UK Police Deploy Facial Recognition Vans Amid Bias Concerns
UK police forces in Sussex and Surrey deployed facial recognition vans in November 2025 to identify people on watch lists. Campaign groups and politicians reportedly criticised the technology as intrusive and racially biased, though police defended it as necessary for public safety.
What happened
Vans equipped with live facial recognition cameras and software were rolled out in Sussex and Surrey in November 2025 as part of a Home Office-funded trial. The vans carry cameras that feed into specialist software to detect people on police watch lists, including those on court orders, wanted on recall to prison, or suspects in criminal investigations.
Reported impact
Opposition from politicians and campaign groups characterised the technology as 'incredibly intrusive' and 'racially biased'. Sussex Police's police and crime commissioner stated the vans were 'not about surveillance' but rather 'about safeguarding', while Surrey Police indicated the software had undergone testing and development.
Index analysis
The deployment of live facial recognition technology in public spaces raises privacy concerns regarding continuous monitoring of populations. Critics identified the technology as racially biased, a concern typically linked to algorithmic fairness in facial recognition systems that have been documented to show disparate accuracy across demographic groups.
Governance controls
Police stated the software had been subject to testing and development. The cameras were designed to operate only on Sussex and Surrey Police watch lists during van operation.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.