For the first time, Greater Manchester Police deployed live facial‑recognition (LFR) vans at the 250th Appleby Horse Fair in Appleby‑in‑Westmorland, drawing a line between supporters who view the tech as a deterrent and opponents who label it an infringement on gypsy rights. The move comes as roughly 30,000 travellers, gypsies and spectators coverge on the Cumbrian town for the annuaal gathering.

Police Commissioner David Allen warns "wanted" individuals will be captured

David Allen, Cumbria’s police commissioner, announced that the LFR system would flag anyone on a wanted list or previously banned from events, stating, "Individuals who come to Appleby who are wanted or they are known to police, this will capture you." The statement, reported by the Daily Mail, underscores the police’s intent to curb the fair’s historic problems with fighting, drug‑taknig and arrests.

According to the report, the technology matches live footage against a database of mugshots and produces a confidence rating ranging from 64 % (the lowest threshold for police action) to 99 % (near certainty). The system never claims 100 % accuracy, a caveat that has fueled criticism from civil‑rights advocates.

Gypsy spokesman Billy Welch backs the cameras, calling them a "no‑risk" tool

At 65 years old, Billy Welch – known as “Shera Rom” and a key organiser of the fair – publicly supported the LFR rollout, telling the Daily Mail, "If you haven’t done anything wrong, you don’t have anything to worry about." Welch’s endorsement has positioned him as a de‑facto liaison between the police and the travelling community, a role that some peers view with suspicion.

Welch’s stance reflects a segment of the fair’s long‑time attendees who believe the presence of cameras may keep the event quieter; several veteran travellers have already described this year’s fair as “one of the quietest for many years .”

Ex‑prisoner Tommy Joyce brands the tech a "heinous scheme"

Tommy Joyce, a reformed ex‑prisoner from Manchester who campaigns against anti‑gypsy discrimination , blasted the LFR deployment as an "informant"‑style betrayal, accusing Welch of enabling police to target the community. Joyce’s criticism is echoed by John Reilly, founder of the Gypsy Traveller League, who warned that “no travelling man sits with police while members of his own community are being targeted, stopped, searched – and even locked up.”

Joyce’s Facebook video, in which he calls the cameras “heavy‑handed,” has resonated with younger travellers who fear that the technology could be used to prfile and detain individuals based on ethnicity rather than behaviour.

Live‑feed officers repeat the "nothing to hide" mantra

PC Mark Mannion of Greater Manchester Police’s technology unit , who monitored the van’s screen, told the Daily Mail’s correspondent Glen Keogh, "If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear." The officer’s reassurance mirrors a common police narrative but does little to allay the community’s concerns about surveillance overreach.

Keogh himself was flagged as “unknown” by the system, a reminder that the technology can produce ambiguous results that still require human verification before any action is taken.

What remains unclear about the LFR trial at Appleby?

  • How many arrests, if any, have resulted directly from a facial‑recognition match during the fair?
  • Will the police retain the facial data collected after the event, and under what legal framework?
  • Is there an independent audit planned to assess the system’s accuracy and bias in this specific crowd?

    • These unanswered points highlight the need for transparent reporting on the trial’s outcomes, something the source article does not provide.