UK Deploys Nationwide Live Facial Recognition

On Jan. 26, 2026 UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced Police.AI, a national live facial recognition program to be deployed across cameras in England and Wales, citing a government investment of £115m and development costs near £140m. The system will analyze CCTV, phone and doorbell footage to deliver an estimated six million policing hours annually (about 3,000 officers), prompting civil‑liberties concerns over data access, private‑sector involvement and emotion monitoring.