Minority Report-style police operation leads to 243 arrests and 159 knives seized

Minority Report-style police operation leads to 243 arrests and 159 knives seizedThey're pulling knives off the streets with a system that predicts who might strike next. Share Article Share Article Facebook X LinkedIn Reddit Bluesky Email Copy Link Link copied Bookmark Add us as preferred source Comments By Paul Jeeves 16:00, Tue, Jun 2, 2026 Updated: 16:55, Tue, Jun 2, 2026 The police operation uses data to predict knife criminals walking the streets (Image: Metropolitan Police)A Minority Report-style police operation to use data to predict the potentially most dangerous knife criminals walking the streets has seen 243 people arrested and 159 knives seized. The two-week crackdown – part of Operation Sceptre – saw officers trial a new data-led approach to identify the highest priority suspects who they believed posed the most risk to members of the public in London. window.scriptsToLoad.push({url:'https://live.primis.tech/live/liveView.php?s=118222&vp_content=plembed3a6btjknzwqh&cbuster=%%CACHEBUSTER%%&playerApiId=v118222',triggeredBy:'tcfLoaded',delay:1500,containerId:'ovp-primis',title:"Primis player",beforeLoad:()=>{window.top.addEventListener('primisPlayerInit',e=>{try{if(e.detail&&e.detail.playerApiId==="v118222"){if(window.document.getElementsByClassName('jwplayer')[0]){e.detail.float('disable')}}}catch(e){}})},}) A similar approach has been used to great effect in recent years as part of the Met’s V100 programme targeting offenders who pose a threat to women and girls, but this is the first time it has been used against knife crime suspects. Having been identified, high-harm offenders were targeted either in relation to their suspected role in previous incidents or as part of proactive interventions to find and seize dangerous knives that might otherwise have been used to commit serious violence. Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT Get the day's biggest headlines in UK and World news and more Subscribe Invalid emailWe use your sign-up to provide conte...