Safety Not Surveillance – National Townhalls on AI and ‘crime

Mass Surveillance 25 Aug 2026 Sarah Lasoye Safety Not Surveillance – National Townhalls on AI and ‘crime-predicting’ technologies This autumn, the #SafetyNotSurveillance coalition will host a series of community townhalls in London, Manchester and Bristol – bringing the public together to discuss the impacts of AI tools and ‘crime-predicting’ technologies used by local police forces. Book your place at one of our townhalls below. Thursday 17 September Thursday 24 September Thursday 1 October About Safety Not Surveillance The #SafetyNotSurveillance coalition are a collective of organisations and grassroots groups, working across digital, racial and migrant justice in the UK. Together, we are working towards society where state surveillance and digital policing are not heralded as the answer to social and economic problems. We are calling for an end to so-called “predictive” policing technologies, and for legislation which protects people’s rights and safeguards against the harms of AI and tech uses in policing and immigration settings. ‘Crime predicting’ tech In the last year, we’ve seen dramatic escalations in the use of AI tools across UK policing. In January, the Home Office announced its plans to invest £115 million into PoliceAI – accelerating the roll out of AI technologies across all 43 forces in England and Wales. These range from administrative tools, to so called ‘crime-prediction’ and ‘risk-scoring’ systems reliant on algorithmic models, to flawed live facial recognition cameras. We’ve seen police forces push ahead with these technologies, justifying their use with the paternalistic argument that the presumed benefits of embedding surveillance across public life, outweigh any consequent harms to the public. What we don’t want, is the continued roll out of these technologies without meaningful engagement and consent from the public – especially racialised, working-class and marginalised communities who already bear the brunt of policing harms. Join us in London, Manchester and Bristol as we explore how AI and ‘crime-predicting’ technologies are being used in local police forces, the harms and risks of their continues roll out, and what action local communities and councils can take to invest in true, lasting community safety. Read more about the Safety Not Surveillance campaign