The Home Office has announced the rollout of 10 new Live Facial Recognition (LFR) vans to seven forces across the country.
The vehicles will enable forces to target and locate wanted criminals and suspects for the most serious crimes including sex offences, violent assaults, homicide and serious and organised crime.
Strict rules are in place, which mean they will only be employed where there is specific intelligence.
The 10 new vehicles will be deployed to forces in Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, Bedfordshire, Surrey and Sussex (jointly), and Thames Valley and Hampshire (jointly)
LFR has previously been used to arrest rape, domestic abuse, knife crime and robbery suspects as well as sex offenders breaching their conditions.
The Metropolitan Police made 580 arrests in 12 months using LFR, including for rape, domestic abuse, knife crime, GBH and robbery offences.
The government will also be consulting on how the technology should be used and what appropriate safeguards and oversight are needed to ensure transparency and public confidence.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: "Neighbourhood policing has been decimated over the last 15 years, but through our Plan for Change we are turning the corner, starting with town and city centres.
"Within the next year, we will have 3,000 new neighbourhood officers and PCSOs in place, which is a big shift. We also want them to have more powers to tackle off-road bikes, shop theft, street theft and other crimes that have blighted some of our town and city centres, so everyone can feel safe in their own town.
"And we will provide police with the tools they need to do their jobs. Facial recognition will be used in a targeted way to identify sex offenders or people wanted for the most serious crimes who the police have not been able to find.
"That’s why we’re funding 10 vans and also drawing up a new legal framework, so we’ve got proper safeguards and checks in place so that we can use the technology to go after the most dangerous criminals."
Lindsey Chiswick, NPCC lead for facial recognition, said: "The police have a duty to prevent crime and keep the public safe. Live Facial Recognition supports effective policing, enabling officers to locate suspects quickly and accurately.
"The increased access to Live Facial Recognition vehicles to forces that previously did not have the capability is an excellent opportunity for policing. Each Live Facial Recognition deployment will be targeted, intelligence-led, within a set geographical location and for defined period of time, ensuring deployments are proportionate, lawful and necessary.
"Live Facial Recognition has already been used in policing to great success, locating thousands of wanted offenders, or others breaching their bail conditions.
"I am confident that the increased use of this technology will continue to support the safety of communities across the country moving forward."
