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A police force has confirmed it will use live facial recognition (LFR) technology at Europe's biggest traditional horse fair this summer near the Lake District. The Appleby Horse Fair, in Appleby-in-Westmoreland, Cumbria, brings thousands of people from the travelling community across Europe to the small Cumbrian town.

It's held over six days in early June and features horse trading, a market and the dramatic sight of horses being washed in the River Eden. But Cumbria Police said it's also their largest annual policing operation. Last year, including the build-up, it saw 123 arrests with 1,307 traditional decorated 'bowtop' wagons and caravans descending on the area.

Last year 80 of the 123 arrests occurred during the six-day event itself - an increase from 74 in 2024, 42 in 2023 and just 18 in 2022, proving arrests and potential criminal offences are soaring.

Det Supt Dan St Quintin, of Cumbria Police, said the event is the force's largest operation each year and using LFR would help make it as safe as possible.

He said: "We can identify the troublemakers and prevent them from committing crime [and] causing trouble so that the vast majority of people can enjoy the fair and feel safe."

St Quintin said the move follows the force seeking public feedback in 2025 about the possible use of LFR to police the fair, with an "overwhelming majority" of respondents backing the new technology.

Most people scanned by the system would have their images deleted in less than a second, but those put on a specific watchlist, including those considered vulnerable, would be flagged so an officer can intervene.

St Quintin said the force would only use the technology at large-scale events where it was "proportionate and necessary," and this is only the second time Cumbria Police will use the technology.

In March, it was used at a Carlisle United match where the faces of more than 6,000 people were scanned, resulting in three accurate matches - with none leading to arrests - and no false alerts.

It follows privacy campaigners losing a High Court challenge aimed at limiting the Metropolitan Police's use of the technology. As of March, the technology is used by 13 out of 43 police forces in England and Wales.

After last year's fair, the RSPCA charity said six horses were either seized or left unwanted and abandoned.

But in June 2025, Gypsy traveller community representative Billy Welch hailed the whole operation for creating an "absolutely unbelievable" atmosphere, stressing many arrests were for drink-driving which included local residents, rather than just fair-goers.

Hailing the 2025 police operation too, Mr Welch added: "It was very safe and pleasant, very well managed. It went like clockwork."