Police arrest several on the watchlist including Oldham man thanks to new technology

Police arrested an Oldham man on suspicion of possession of a firearm - thanks to its latest deployment of Live Facial Recognition technology.

Officers also made several arrests including another man who was wanted by police for five years. 

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 in Manchester city centre for three days last week. 

There was a total of seven arrests over the three days, resulting in four charges. 

An offender in his 40s had been wanted since April 2020 for breach of a court order. He was charged and appeared in court on November 21. 

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 – he was released pending further investigation. 

A male in his 30s was arrested on suspicion of shoplifting and remanded to appeared at court on November 21. 

A further male in his 30s was added to the watchlist as he was banned from entering the Piccadilly Gardens area – he breached his Conditional Behaviour Order and has also now been charged. 

Inspector Jon Middleton said: “These arrests that have led to charges 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.” 

Live Facial Recognition (LFR) compares a live camera feed of faces against a predetermined watchlist in real-time.  

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

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