Artificial Intelligence #crime prediction#police
British Police Predictive AI Models Quietly Abandoned After Staff Lost Trust in Results
An investigation by WIRED and partner outlets reveals that Avon and Somerset Police built at least 23 predictive analytics models, including risk scores for burglary, court non-appearance, and domestic abuse. At least two models were quietly abandoned after staff decided they could no longer trust them, while over 36,000 performance scores showed genuinely poor predictive performance. The program, centered on the Think Family Database holding records on half a million people, operated with limited transparency, raising concerns about public trust and algorithmic accountability.
Jun 25, 2026 1 source