How AI cops are ALREADY patrolling Britain's streets

British police are using AI to track down on criminals and predict crimes.

Facial recognition scans the faces of thousands of people each year in the UK .

The Met Police and South Wales Police have been among the keenest adopters of the technology.

Big Brother Watch warns: 'We're sleepwalking into a high-tech police state'.

Supermarkets and other shops are increasingly making use of facial recognition technology to crack down on shoplifting.

In October last year , Policing Minister Chris Philp announced a 600,000 ($ 752,000 ) partnership between police and 13 of the UK 's biggest retailers known as Project Pegasus .

Under Project Pegasus , shops like John Lewis , Tesco , and Sainsbury 's would be able to send their own CCTV footage to the police for analysis.

This type of technology is called retrospective facial recognition, and searches for suspects against a database of known individuals.

In the UK there is currently no specific law governing the use so it is up to police to decide when it would be appropriate.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council told MailOnline that 'AI can make us more effective, efficient, and productive' In 2023 the Met used Life Facial Recognition at a premier league game for the first time ever to scan the faces of thousands of fans on their way to watch Arsenal v Tottenham .