Wanted rape suspect arrested in Manchester following facial recognition alert
The man was arrested on allegations of rape, and harassment and coercive control.
A rape suspect who was wanted by police in Manchester over a string of allegations has been arrested after he was identified by Live Facial Recognition (LFR) cameras.
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The 26-year-old, who remains in custody according to police, was arrested on Friday in Manchester city centre on suspicion of rape, harassment and coercive control.
The individual had been sought in connection with a rape committed in Salford in September 2025, alongside a separate domestic incident which is alleged to have taken place in Oldham in May of last year.
It comes as the Home Secretary set out what she described as "the biggest reform to policing in two centuries".
Shabana Mahmood announced on Monday that more than £140 million in new technologies to help catch criminals across the country.
The latest arrest by Greater Manchester Police saw the individual detained in connection with additional theft offences.
According to the force, the arrest was made as part of Project Servator, with officers assisting in Piccadilly Gardens after cameras scanned more than 40,000 faces.
The operation between January 28 and January 30 saw a total of four arrests made, with one in five arrests made using the technology in the past three months being registered sex offenders
Facial recognition was first deployed by the farce in October 2025, with three-quarters of suspects arrested using the technology later being charged with offences.
"At one of the most recent deployments, John Thompson, 43, from Manchester, caught in Piccadilly Gardens and later charged with 36 offences.
"He was stopped on suspicion of breaching his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and has since admitted 36 offences," the force confirmed.
Speaking on the use of the technology, a Greater Manchester Police spokesperson said: “This is exactly why we have been using LFR - to keep our communities safe, catch wanted suspects and make sure people are adhering to their court conditions.
“This proactive approach allows officers to intervene more quickly before suspects can commit further offences, reducing the risk to the public.
"We will continue to deploy across Greater Manchester to support our neighbourhood policing teams."
