Thames Valley Police will deploy mobile facial recognition vans on Slough High Street on Tuesday 21 April 2026 as part of an ongoing effort to identify wanted suspects and improve community safety in Berkshire.
The technology uses cameras to compare faces in the crowd against a specific list of people wanted by police, including those with outstanding warrants or people avoiding court proceedings. If a person is not on the list, the system cannot match them. According to the force, any data that does not trigger a match is deleted within seconds. When a match is made, the associated information is held no longer than 31 days.
This follows a previous operation on 13 February 2026, when police monitored 15,045 faces on the same street, resulting in three arrests. During the upcoming visit, officers will be available to answer questions from residents and provide demonstrations of how the equipment works.
The use of this technology remains a subject of national debate. While Thames Valley Police has acknowledged past concerns regarding potential bias in facial recognition systems, they state that these issues have reduced as the technology has developed. Nationally, organizations such as Big Brother Watch have raised concerns about privacy and civil liberties, leading to legal challenges regarding how the technology is used.
There is currently no specific law governing facial recognition in England and Wales, though the Home Office recently held a public consultation on potential new regulations. As part of a larger plan to adopt new technology in policing, the government has announced funding to increase the number of these mobile units across the country over the next three years.
The system used by the local force is provided by NEC Corporation, using the same software currently employed by several other police forces across the country.
Residents with questions about the deployment are encouraged to speak with the officers on-site during the operation.
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