'Predictive policing' could come to UK

A pioneering technique to predict crime before it happens could be imported from the United States to this country, a senior British police chief said yesterday.

Pilots of the scheme – under which officers are dispatched to crime hotspots identified by computer – have had early success in California.

The method of "predictive policing" was outlined at a criminal justice seminar in London by the US police chief, Captain Sean Malinowski, who has introduced it in a Los Angeles suburb.

Chief Constable Nick Gargan, the chief executive of the National Policing Improvement Agency, gave a warm welcome to the "exciting initiative".

He said UK officers were monitoring its effectiveness and could deploy it alongside other methods used by the police.