Issue 412  23rd August 2025

Criminals hell bent on making others’ lives a misery face being stopped before they can strike through cutting edge mapping technology, supported by AI, to be rolled out by 2030, Technology Secretary Peter Kyle has announced today (Friday 15 August). Innovators have been tasked with developing a detailed real time and interactive crime map that spans England and Wales and can detect, track and predict where devastating knife crime is likely to occur or spot early warning signs of anti-social behaviour before it spirals out of control – giving police the intel they need to step in and keep the public safe. It will be rooted in advanced AI that will examine how to bring together data shared between police, councils and social services, including criminal records, previous incident locations and behavioural patterns of known offenders. The map will identify where crime is concentrating so law enforcement and partners can direct their resources as needed and help prevent further victims.

The Concentrations of Crime Data Challenge - delivered by UKRI - sets teams from business, universities and beyond a clear and measurable target of coming together to develop the solution to be operational across England and Wales by 2030 and is part of the government’s £500 million R&D Missions Accelerator Programme. As part of an initial £4 million government investment, teams will deliver initial prototypes to enhance the mapping system by April 2026 – a crucial milestone that supports the Safer Streets Mission as part of our Plan for Change, which aims to halve knife crime and Violence Against Women and Girls within a decade...

Every neighbourhood across England and Wales now has named, contactable officers in place to tackle issues blighting their communities, marking a major milestone in the government’s Plan for Change. As part of the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee to put 13,000 more officers into communities by 2029, the public will have consistent direct links to their local force, with dedicated anti-social behaviour leads and new visible patrols in town centres. 

In addition to bolstering police presence in communities, the Home Office is announcing the rollout of 10 new Live Facial Recognition (LFR) vans to seven forces across the country, equipping officers with targeted, cutting-edge technology to catch high-harm criminals. The new vans will operate according to strict rules, which ensure they are only deployed when there is specific intelligence. The College of Policing has clear guidance on how the technology should be used. These vehicles enable law enforcement to target and locate wanted criminals and suspects for the most serious crimes including sex offences, violent assaults, homicide and serious and organised crime. Forces already using LFR have used it to arrest rape, domestic abuse, knife crime and robbery suspects as well as sex offenders breaching their conditions. The technology has also been used to maintain safety at big public events. Existing safeguards require checks only to be done against police watchlists of wanted criminals, suspects and those subject to bail or court order conditions like sex offenders. Watchlists are bespoke to every deployment, with officers following strict guidance from the College of Policing guidance when composing a list...

A woman who was sexually assaulted on a flight to London has challenged government rules that disqualify her from a compensation scheme. The woman, who has maintained her anonymity and is referred to as Kelly, was attacked while she slept on a Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Gatwick in September last year. Her attacker, Momade Jussab, of Swinfield Close, Feltham, was arrested on arrival at Gatwick. He was 66 when he was handed a six-and-a-half-year prison sentence at Lewes Crown Court in May after being found guilty of one count of sexual assault by penetration and two counts of sexual assault...

Kelly, who is in her 20s and is from London, was denied a payout through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme (CICS) because the incident happened on a plane that was not registered in Britain. The law firm representing Kelly, Leigh Day, has written to Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood urging her to close what it believes is a gap in the law...