Satellite blitz on hotbeds of knife crime

POLICE will use spy-in-the-sky technology to pinpoint violent crime troublespots after 221 fatal knife attacks in a year.

- Martyn Brown

Policing Minister Kit Malthouse said officers would use GPS data to “forensically identify” areas and blitz them with frequent high-visibility foot patrols over short periods.

The Home Office scheme was piloted by Essex Police in 20 areas over three days.

It led to a 74 per cent drop in violent crime and 32 per cent fall in street crime on days when the patrols visited.

Other trials have shown similar results – a recent hotspot operation by Bedfordshire Police led to harm from serious violence dropping by 44 per cent on patrol days.