UK creating ‘murder prediction’ tool to identify people most likely to kill

The government says the project, the existence of which was discovered by Statewatch, is for research only. Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/PA

The UK government is developing a “murder prediction” programme which it hopes can use personal data of those known to the authorities to identify the people most likely to become killers.

Researchers are alleged to be using algorithms to analyse the information of thousands of people, including victims of crime, as they try to identify those at greatest risk of committing serious violent offences.