A new AI system, dubbed “Knife Hunter,” has been developed by the University of Surrey in collaboration with the Metropolitan Police to help combat UK knife crime.

The system, which is believed to be the world’s first AI-based knife crime analysis system, allows police officers to identify weapons that are found during stops, that are seized, or are recovered from crime scenes.

With tens of thousands of knives recovered annually in the UK, the system enables police to log the weapons, trace their origins, and monitor geographical trends. Further, Knife Hunter stores data and generates reports on knife crime patterns.

At the core of the system is ACTNET, a cutting-edge recognition network developed by Professor Miroslaw Bober, project lead from the University of Surrey’s Institute for People-Centred AI, and his team.

Trained on a dataset containing over 25,000 images of knives spanning 550 differing knife types, the researchers said that the advanced system excels in identifying even the most subtle distinguishing features of various weapons, regardless of viewing angle, lighting conditions, or partial occlusions.

The system’s effectiveness in real-world operations was validated during UK-wide trials, conducted as part of the police’s Spectre operation.

Professor Bober and his team are continuing to work with the Met Police to deliver a new product that can be used by any police force, with an overview of how the Knife Hunter system works, the leads it can provide, and how to spot crime trends.

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“For the past three years, we’ve partnered with the Metropolitan Police to develop a system that we believe could revolutionise how forces across the country tackle knife crime in the not-too-distant future,” said Professor Bober.

“Knife Hunter transforms the way police process and analyse images and videos, doing it faster and more efficiently. More importantly, it’s a major step forward in helping uncover the origins of weapons in our communities.

“Looking ahead, we’re excited about the potential for Knife Hunter and similar tools to work hand-in-hand with Police and local communities to create safer streets for everyone.”