Pilots of the scheme – under which officers are dispatched to crime hotspots identified by computer – have had early success in California.

The method of “predictive policing” was outlined at a criminal justice seminar in London by the US police chief, Captain Sean Malinowski, who has introduced it in a Los Angeles suburb.

Chief Constable Nick Gargan, the chief executive of the National Policing Improvement Agency, gave a warm welcome to the “exciting initiative”.

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