Britain's biggest police force will more than double its use of live facial recognition to up to ten deployments a week.
Scotland Yard announced the move amid mass restructuring to cover the loss of 1,400 officers and 300 staff due to budget shortages.
The force will also deploy an extra 80 officers in the crime-ridden West End, where almost 15 per cent of the capital’s knife offences take place, according to a recent study.
Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said doubling the number of officers across iconic high streets such as Oxford Street would crack down on crimes including phone thefts, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting.
Shoplifting hit a record high in 2024 with the number of offences surpassing 500,000 for the first time.
