First suspect caught using hi-tech face matching kit

Prosecutors claimed Aluko became “aggressive and abusive” towards staff and members of the public at Westfield Shopping Centre in Stratford, east London, on January 19 after being asked to leave.

Leila Nahaboo, prosecuting, said that in the ensuing scuffle a female officer suffered a 3in long cut beneath her eye, while a male officer was kicked in the shins.

Dr Greg Thomson, chair of the magistrates bench, said: “We are going to set a trial for these matters, because you deny all the charges.”

Aluko was bailed to appear Hendon magistrates court in April.

The Police Federation said it could not comment on the decision to grant the defendant bail as it was an ongoing case.

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Facial

Recognition (LFR) kit gives officers a prompt that flags someone up as a person they might be looking for.

As part of the process, police will compile “watch lists” and use them to carry out facial recognition in locations they are likely to catch suspects.

Earlier this month the Stratford Centre retail complex, east London, became one of the first locations where Scotland Yard deployed facial recognition vans.

Announcing the introduction of LFR in January, Scotland Yard claimed the new technology would help officers to tackle serious crime – including gun and knife offences.

Met Police assistant commissioner Nick Ephgrave said: “As a modern police force, I believe that we have a duty to use new technologies to keep people safe in London.

“Every day, our police officers are briefed about suspects they should look out for. LFR improves the effectiveness of this tactic. ”

The Met’s commissioner Dame Cressida Dick told delegates at the Royal United Services Institute earlier this week that critics of LFR would need to justify to victims of crime why police should not be allowed to use it.

She said: “I and others have been making the case for the proportionate use of tech in policing, but the loudest voices in the debate seem to be critics.

“It is for critics to justify to the victims of those crimes why police should not use tech lawfully and proportionally to catch criminals.”