AI tool to help UK police tackle knife crime

Created in collaboration with London’s Metropolitan Police, Knife Hunter is believed to be the world's first AI-based knife analysis system that allows police officers to identify weapons found during stops, recovered from crime scenes, or seized.

With tens of thousands of such knives recovered annually in the UK, the system allows police to log these weapons, trace their origins through retail or illegal import channels, and monitor geographical trends.

Additionally, Knife Hunter stores data, analyses trends, and generates reports on knife crime patterns, supporting local policing efforts and national policymaking.

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In a statement, project lead Professor Miroslaw Bober, from Surrey University's Institute for People-Centred AI, said: "For the past three years, we've partnered with the Metropolitan Police to develop a system that we believe could revolutionise how forces across the country tackle knife crime in the not-too-distant future.

"Knife Hunter transforms the way Police process and analyse images and videos, doing it faster and more efficiently. More importantly, it's a major step forward in helping uncover the origins of weapons in our communities. Looking ahead, we're excited about the potential for Knife Hunter and similar tools to work hand-in-hand with Police and local communities to create safer streets for everyone."