Can governments stop killings before they happen? UK explores 'murder prediction' data programme
The UK government is studying whether they can develop a 'murder prediction' programme that will use police and government data to decide how likely someone is to kill, new research has found.
Information for the project was gathered through several freedom of information (FOI) requests filed by
Statewatch
, a UK-based civil liberties and human rights charity.
The UK's Ministry of Justice (MOJ) wrote to Statewatch that the Homicide Prediction Project is a study to 'review offender characteristics that increase the risk of committing homicide,' and to 'explore the power' of various datasets from the Police National Computer and Manchester Police to assess homicide risk.
Related
Prisoners in Finland are being employed as data labellers to improve accuracy of AI models
The MOJ assessed several databases to look at personal and criminal history data, assessments completed by probation officers on motivation, need and risk, incident data, alerts and custody information for inmates who had at least one conviction before January 1, 2015.
'This work is for research purposes only,' the FOI response to Statewatch
reads
, noting that any assessments will not affect any judicial outcomes. 'No direct operational or policy changes will come as a result,' it added.
Yet, the data protection assessment said a final report with a reflection on 'future operationalistion and/or policy development based on the work' would be produced.
'Deeply wrong'
Sofia Lyall, a researcher with Statewatch, said the project will 'reinforce and magnify the structural discriminal underpinning the criminal legal system'.
'Building an automated tools to profile people as violent criminals is deeply wrong, and using such sensitive data on mental health, addiction and disability is highly intrusive and alarming,' she continued.
Related
Algorithm used in Catalan prisons has 'substantial deficiencies,' audit finds
Lyall asked the minister of justice to 'immediately halt' the development of this tool and instead to 'invest in genuinely supportive welfare services'.
Euronews Next reached out to the MOJ to clarify what the project's intended goals are and whether it would be further developed but did not receive an immediate reply.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
3 hours ago
- France 24
UK economy slows less than feared after tariffs
Gross domestic product grew 0.3 percent in the April-June period, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said in a statement -- beating analyst forecasts of 0.1-percent growth after reaching 0.7 percent in the first quarter. "Today's economic figures are positive with a strong start to the year and continued growth in the second quarter," said finance minister Rachel Reeves. "But there is more to do to deliver an economy that works for working people," she added in a statement, following a difficult first year in power for the Labour government as the economy struggles to grow significantly. ONS data Thursday showed that growth to UK construction and services in the second quarter helped to offset a drop in production. "Growth was led by services, with computer programming, health and vehicle leasing growing," noted Liz McKeown, ONS director of economic statistics. Overall GDP grew 0.4 percent in June after contracting slightly in April and May, the statistics office added. June's figure "will be welcome news for the government, which has had a frustrating time chasing elusive growth", noted Susannah Streeter, head of money and markets at Hargreaves Lansdown. Official data Wednesday showed UK unemployment at a four-year high of 4.7 percent in the second quarter. This is largely a result of Prime Minister Keir Starmer's government increasing a UK business tax from April, the same month that the country became subject to US President Donald Trump's 10-percent baseline tariff on most goods. However, London and Washington reached an agreement in May to cut levies of more than 10 percent on certain UK-made items imported by the United States, notably vehicles. "A favourable trade agreement has enabled output to pick up again as June showed growth in all sectors including manufacturing," said Danni Hewson, head of financial analysis at AJ Bell. Tariffs fallout Despite the turnaround in June, exports of goods to the United States fell by £700 million ($950 million) in the month to their lowest level since February 2022, the ONS added Thursday. "The value of goods exports to the United States... have remained relatively low since the introduction of tariffs in April," it noted. Citing threats to growth from US tariffs, the Bank of England last week cut its key interest rate by a quarter point to four percent. "The weak global economy will remain a drag on UK GDP growth for a while yet," Ruth Gregory, deputy chief UK economist at Capital Economics research group, said following Thursday's data. "The full drag on business investment from April's tax rises has yet to be felt. And the ongoing speculation about further tax rises in the (UK) autumn budget will probably keep consumers in a cautious mood." Streeter added that "evidence of a more resilient economy may mean that the Bank of England policymakers are that bit more reticent about cutting interest rates in the months to come".
France 24
18 hours ago
- France 24
Vance visits US troops during UK trip
Speaking after taking part in calls with European leaders and US President Donald Trump about the war in Ukraine, Vance said the US troops' presence was essential to helping to end the fighting. Trump is to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday in Alaska "to try to achieve an end to this terrible war in Russia and Ukraine", Vance told US troops stationed at the UK's air force base in Fairford, Gloucestershire in southwest England. "You guys make that possible. You guys are the reason why we can go into a negotiation with strength," Vance said. "Nothing that we do as an administration is possible without the hard work, the courage and the skill that you guys bring to the job," he added. He addressed the troops after calls with Trump and European leaders ahead of the Alaska summit, aimed at convincing the US leader to respect Kyiv's interests in the talks. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Wednesday that there was now a "viable" chance for a ceasefire after over three years since Russia's February 2023 invasion of Ukraine. Vance arrived in the UK on August 8 with his wife and three children, only to be met by protests from residents in the Cotswolds countryside. He has spent much of his time in meetings with UK officials, including Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who hosted Vance at his country retreat in Chevening in Kent, southeast of London over the weekend. On Wednesday, Vance reportedly had breakfast with Nigel Farage, leader of the anti-immigrant Reform UK party, which is topping the current electoral polls. He met late Tuesday with Conservative Party justice spokesman Robert Jenrick, but has not managed to schedule face-to-face talks with the Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, The Times newspaper reported.
France 24
19 hours ago
- France 24
Premier League has no say on delay over Man City charges, says chief exec
The Premier League issued more than 100 charges against City in February 2023 related to alleged breaches of its financial rules and with allegedly failing to co-operate with the subsequent investigation. The case was heard by a commission between September and December last year but no decision has been published. The issue continues to hang over the league as the 2025/26 season gets underway this weekend, but Masters said his organisation has no control over when a verdict will be reached. "Once the allegations, the charge has been put forward, they go before an independent panel, which is independently selected, and they are then in charge of the process and its timings," Masters told Sky Sports News. "They hear the case, they decide the outcome, and we have no influence over that, over it or its timing. "And that's right, if you think from an independence point of view, that there is independent people making those decisions, and we just have to be waiting. "My frustration is irrelevant, really. I mean, I just have to wait, and legal processes rarely take less time than you anticipated, but we have to be patient." City deny any wrongdoing and have said they have a "comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence" to clear their name. But if they are found guilty, they could face a range of punishments, including a severe points penalty, or even be kicked out of the Premier League. City were charged with failing to report accurate financial information for nine seasons stretching from 2009/10 to 2017/18, as well as failing to provide full details of former manager Roberto Mancini's pay between 2009/10 and 2012/13. They are also charged with failing to provide full details of remuneration in contracts with players between 2010/11 and 2015/16, and with failing to co-operate with the investigation over a period from 2018 to 2023. Since an Abu Dhabi-backed takeover in 2008, City's fortunes have been transformed on the field from also-rans to the dominant force in English football. Eight of their 10 top-flight league titles have come since 2012 and they also won the Champions League for the first time in 2023.
