Police chiefs could trial 'Minority Report policing' to identify and catch criminals before they strike

It marks a striking resemblance to Minority Report, the 2002 Steven Spielberg film that depicts police catching criminals before they strike.

Sir Andy Marsh, who heads the College of Policing, told The Telegraph that "predictive analytics" would be one of three major uses for the technology.

Forces across the country are currently testing around 100 AI-related projects designed to fight crime and boost efficiency.

One of the most striking proposals is the V1000 plan, which would use AI to identify and pursue the 1,000 most dangerous predatory men threatening women and girls across England and Wales.

Sir Andy explained the thinking behind it: "We know the data and case histories tell us that, unfortunately, it's far from uncommon for these individuals to move from one female victim to another, and we understand all of the difficulties of bringing successful cases to bear in court.

"So what we want to do is use these predictive tools to take the battle to those individuals, so that they are the ones who are frightened because the police are coming after them and we're going to lock them up."

The scheme builds on the Met's V100 programme, launched in March 2023, which had charged 193 perpetrators with 2,395 offences by last November, including rape, grievous bodily harm and attempted murder.

The Government is putting £4million into building an interactive AI-powered map of England and Wales, due for completion by 2030.

The idea is to use official data to spot areas where knife crime or antisocial behaviour might flare up, letting officers step in before things escalate.

Ms Mahmood has also announced plans to roll out live facial recognition cameras operated by police across the country.

In a chat with Sir Tony Blair last month, she explained her vision: "When I was in justice, my ultimate vision for that part of the criminal justice system was to achieve, by means of AI and technology, what Jeremy Bentham tried to do with his Panopticon. That is that the eyes of the state can be on you at all times."

On the ground, Greater Manchester officers are testing AI assistants that give them instant access to criminal law and guidance when responding to domestic violence calls.

These tools help with everything from handling counter-allegations at crime scenes to preparing suspect interviews, potentially "saving hours of work" and ensuring proper court applications that could "make the difference between life or death."

Sir Andy reckons the technology will save "many tens of thousands, if not many hundreds of thousands, of hours" currently lost to paperwork and checking.

There's also a new video search system being fast-tracked after proving it can find suspects in CCTV and doorbell footage 60 per cent quicker than anything before.

"We will not only be able to do it more quickly, more cheaply, but also lower the bar at which we're able to apply this to solve crime," Sir Andy said.

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