He was caught when officers deployed to Churchill Square in Brighton city centre on December 2 and used the technology.
The 42-year-old man was identified by officers as being wanted for offences linked to the supply of drugs and organised crime and was stopped in Western Road.
He was arrested on suspicion of offences including possession of a class A drug with intent to supply, participating in activities linked to an organised crime group, money laundering, and fraud by false representation.
Detective Chief Superintendent Carwyn Hughes, business lead for live facial recognition technology for Surrey Police and Sussex Police, said: “This was a remarkable arrest made by officers in just the second deployment of its type in Sussex.
“We are focussing on individuals who are on our police watch lists, including wanted persons and individuals who have been made the subject of court orders.
“This arrest demonstrates that the technology and our teams are focussed on catching criminals who present the most harm to our communities.”
Live facial recognition technology is a real-time deployment comparing a live camera feed (or multiple feeds) of faces against a pre-determined watchlist. This will include wanted people like sex offenders and perpetrators of domestic abuse.
Sussex Police said images of people who are not on the pre-determined watchlist will be instantly deleted forever from the system, thereby reducing impact on their human rights. Watchlist images are deleted within 24 hours after each day of the deployment.
Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne said: “Live facial recognition technology is already proving its value in helping Sussex Police identify and apprehend dangerous criminals and sexual predators who pose the greatest risk to the public.
“I pushed for this tech to be used because I think it’s important for people to know exactly who they’re standing next to in the high street and for those serving the remainder of their sentence in the community to know that Sussex Police can effectively ensure they’re adhering to their sentence conditions.
“It’s a powerful tool for keeping people safe but it must be used responsibly and transparently.
“At my next performance and accountability meeting with the Chief Constable, I will be scrutinising how this technology is being deployed, including addressing public concerns around privacy and potential bias.
“My priority is to ensure that its use remains proportionate, ethical and focused on protecting the public.”
The deployment of LFR vans follows a successful bid by both Surrey Police and Sussex Police to obtain two LFR vans from the Home Office and, after extensive planning, these are now live. The vans were successfully used for the first time in Redhill and Crawley last month.
For the people of interest who are flagged by the software as being on the watchlist, an officer will confirm the match before a decision is made about whether there are grounds for appropriate engagement or arrest, Sussex Police said.
The force said: “In line with statutory requirements, the vans are clearly signposted when used and deployment locations are publicised on our website in advance. Deployments will also only be authorised by those of a Superintendent rank and in a proportionate manner.”
The 42-year-old man from Brighton who was arrested on December 2 has been bailed, pending further enquiries.
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