Criminals could be stopped before they strike under a new AI-powered crime mapping system planned for rollout across England and Wales by 2030.
Technology Secretary Peter Kyle announced the initiative as part of a £500 million R&D Missions Accelerator Programme, with an initial £4 million investment backing the Safer Streets Mission to cut knife crime and violence against women and girls by half within the next decade.
Developed under the Concentrations of Crime Data Challenge, the interactive real-time map will use artificial intelligence to analyse information shared by police, councils, and social services. This includes criminal records, incident locations and behavioural patterns of known offenders, allowing authorities to identify hotspots and intervene before crimes occur. Prototypes of the system are expected by April 2026.
Kyle said: “Cutting-edge technology like AI can improve our lives in so many ways, including in keeping us safe, which is why we’re putting it to work for victims over vandals, the law-abiding majority over the lawbreakers. Our police officers are at their best when they join up to prevent crime rather than react to it, and R&D can deliver crucial tools for them to stay one step ahead.”
The new system builds on existing Home Office efforts such as hotspot mapping and the Safer Streets Initiative but goes further by integrating deeper datasets with advanced analysis. It is also part of a wider government plan to boost neighbourhood policing, with 13,000 additional officers, PCSOs and special constables to be deployed nationwide.
Minister for Policing and Crime Prevention Dame Diana Johnson said the tool would be “a powerful asset” to help police stay ahead of evolving criminal networks, adding: “We are investing in AI and other innovations that will help us be smarter on crime, staying ahead of the curve and prevent it from happening in the first place.”
The crime mapping programme follows the Clean Energy mission and sits alongside further government initiatives in science and technology aimed at strengthening public services, including the NHS and education, while driving economic growth.
