Nearly 100 people arrested as facial recognition used

Seven of the arrests were thanks to the LFR vans, which were deployed as part of Operation Avro over three days this week.

One man arrested, from Manchester, had been wanted for five years, and another on suspicion of firearms offences.

The two vans, which have been supplied by the Home Office for use across the north west, were in Piccadilly Gardens and on Market Street.

Four of the seven LFR arrests resulted in charges.

A man in his 40s, from Manchester, had been wanted since April 2020 for breach of a court order.

He was charged and appeared in court on 21 November.

An 18-year-old man wanted in connection with an incident in the Oldham area in May 2025, was arrested on suspicion of possession of a firearm and was released pending further investigation.

A man in his 30s, from Manchester, was arrested on suspicion of shoplifting and remanded, and was due to appear at court on 21 November.

Another man in his 30s, from Prestwich, was added to the watchlist as police said he was banned from entering the Piccadilly Gardens area, but Greater Manchester Police said he breached his Conditional Behaviour Order and has also now been charged.

LFR compares a live camera feed of faces against a predetermined watchlist in real-time.

It is used to locate people of interest by generating an alert when a possible match is found.

The technology was deployed as part of the wider Operation Avro day of action that saw a total of 96 arrests.

Inspector Jon Middleton said: “These arrests that have led to charges and are exactly why Live Facial Recognition is being used in Manchester and across the north west.

“The technology is about keeping people safe as well as identifying people wanted for criminal offences and locating vulnerable people.

“This proactive approach allows officers to intervene before suspects can commit further offences, reducing the risk to the public.”