High Wycombe residents said they felt "safer" in town knowing that live facial recognition technology was being used in the Eden Centre this week.

On March 3, two vans with CCTV feeds were used to search for faces on a "watchlist" in the shopping centre, with an increased police presence in the town.

Amid the facial recognition deployment, there were around 14 police officers out in Wycombe, the most patrolled town in the Thames Valley Region, according to Neighbourhood Policing Team Inspector Harry Genhich.

Eden Centre Live Facial Recognition deployment (Image: NQ)

Multiple arrests and identifications were made.

Members of the public shared their thoughts on the technology, saying it is a "good thing" despite campaigners' concerns that the tech infringes on freedoms and "could cause miscarriages of justice" amid a national rollout.

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Jaybip Gajera, 27, and Rishabh Jindal, 33, said the vans had prompted conversations for them while out in town.

Jaybip said: "It is for the safety purpose so it should happen, especially in this time where there is crisis happening, so it's a good thing to doing such things."

He added that he would only have been against it if he had been doing something wrong himself and that he thought it would be good for identifying suspicious people.

Rishabh said that he would want to see it more due to the levels of crime in the area.

He stated: "There's quite a few incidents in the past couple of months, so it's a good thing."

Simona Lalu, 40, works at Magazin Romanesc Diana in town, she said: "I think it's a positive thing."

She added that it makes her feel "safer".

Insp Genhich stated that the force had received an overwhelmingly positive response.

Speaking to the Free Press at the deployment, he said: "We've already had three people who've identified, two of which have been arrested, I think that's already shown the value for me.

"That's exactly what we want this to be doing as a tool.

"But, it's more than that, it's about the opportunities and engaging with the community as well."

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He added: "Just looking around and seeing how many people are talking amongst us, I'm proud of that.

"We're doing what needs to be done."

Insp Genich said he would want to use the vans as often as he could get access to them.

Sergeant Martin Smith from the Thames Valley Police (TVP) specialist live facial recognition team said that due to operations covering the Thames Valley, Hampshire and even further afield, the deployments will likely only come "every few months".

Eden Centre Live Facial Recognition deployment (Image: NQ)

The force had notified the public that it would be using the tech ahead of time,

A TVP Facebook post stated: "We make sure to let you know before our LFR vans are in use, so everyone stays informed about what’s happening.

"While this can mean some individuals choose to avoid us, the vans can help deter crime and keep the area safer.

"Preventing crime is just as important as catching those who break the law."

There was also signage to alert shoppers when they were entering the facial recognition zone.

Eden Centre Live Facial Recognition deployment (Image: NQ)