Current Exhibition

Book on Eventbrite to see the exhibition in the Metropolitan Police Museum, which changes yearly. Photo ID will be required.

Forensics 125: 125 Years of Forensic Science in the Metropolitan Police

Opening on 1 September 2026, our next exhibition at the Metropolitan Police Museum will mark 125 years since Edward Henry founded the Met's Fingerprint Department.

With some cases retained from the previous exhibition ('150 Years of the Crime Museum') and some new never-before-seen ones, we will look at how Met investigations have evolved from the age of fingerprints to the age of DNA.

For the first time the exhibition will draw on the collections of both the Crime Museum and the Police Museum, with exciting new donations from the Met's present-day Forensic Services.

Exhibition details

The exhibition is hosted by the Metropolitan Police Museum in Sidcup from 1 September 2026 and is due to run for a year. It will be open to the public on Tuesdays-Thursdays every week, with two tours slots each day. There will also be two tours each day on the closing weekend (9-10 May).

Tours must be booked at least a week in advance on our Eventbrite page. Tickets must be booked at least 48 hours before your planned visit.

Tickets are free and are released one month in advance, with the first slots due to be released in August 2026. 

Due to the nature of the material on display the exhibition is only open to those aged 16 and over.

If you are unable to book a slot, the exhibition is also available on Bloomberg Connects - it will also remain available there after the physical exhibition has closed.

About the Crime Museum

The Met founded its Crime Museum in 1875 as a private teaching collection to train officers and staff in crime investigation using exhibits from significant cases in our history.

It has borne witness to policing’s most fascinating, shocking and groundbreaking moments. With artefacts ranging from the infamous to the obscure, the Museum tells the story of investigation, justice and the darker side of human nature.

Despite being closed to the public, the objects and archive in the Crime Museum have shaped public consciousness and demonstrate the relentless dedication of our officers, detectives and forensic experts in pursuit of justice.