The UK government is working on a new program called ‘Murder Prediction’ to help stop serious crimes before they happen. This program will look at data of people already known to the police or other authorities. It will use computer algorithms to find patterns and signs that someone might commit a serious crime like murder.
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) says this plan will help keep the public safe by spotting people who may be at high risk of doing something dangerous in the future. While the government believes this could help the justice system, some people are worried it might invade people’s privacy.
According to The Guardian, a UK-based civil rights group called Statewatch raised concerns about the project. They said the government plans to collect data not just on people who have committed crimes, but also on those who haven’t. This includes sensitive details like whether someone has asked the police for help, harmed themselves, or been involved in domestic abuse.
Sofia Lyall, a researcher at Statewatch, strongly criticised the project. She called it “chilling and dystopian.” She also said the program relies on data from police and government systems that are already unfair. According to her, this could make existing discrimination in the justice system even worse.
However, Statewatch, a civil rights group, raised concerns. They said the system could include sensitive data like mental health issues, self-harm, or domestic abuse, even for people who haven’t committed any crime. Researcher Sofia Lyall called the project “chilling and dystopian”, warning it could unfairly target poor and ethnic minority communities.
The Ministry of Justice said the project is still in the research phase and uses existing data from the police and probation services. It was launched under former PM Rishi Sunak to test new ways to assess the risk of serious violence.
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