The government will equip seven police forces in England with new live facial recognition (LFR) vans in a bid to trace suspects of serious crimes, including murder and sexual assaults, more effectively.

Live facial recognition cameras will be rolled out in new areas across England as part of a crime crackdown. A fleet of vans kitted with the facial recognition technology will be rolled out in seven new areas in the UK over the coming weeks.

The Home Office says the technology helps locate suspects but civil liberties groups warn of heightened surveillance.