Exhibitions

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

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.

The Science of Solving Crime

Featuring never-before-seen material and objects from both the Met's museums, Forensics 125: 125 Years of Forensic Science in the Metropolitan Police opens at the Metropolitan Police Museum this September. It traces the development of forensic investigation from the introduction of fingerprint identification to the DNA techniques used in policing today.

Opening on 8 September 2026 and running until 10 September 2027, the exhibition marks 125 years since Sir Edward Henry founded the Metropolitan Police Fingerprint Bureau, a pioneering development that helped transform criminal investigation and identification.

Alongside key exhibits retained from the Museum's popular 150 Years of the Crime Museum exhibition, visitors will have the opportunity to see previously unseen material on public display for the first time. The exhibition also features new contributions from the Met’s Forensic Services department, highlighting how forensic science continues to support policing in the twenty-first century.

Through the exhibition, visitors will discover how investigative techniques have evolved, from the introduction of fingerprint identification in the early twentieth century to modern DNA analysis and other forensic technologies used today.

Exhibition details

The exhibition is hosted by the Metropolitan Police Museum in Sidcup from 8 September 2026 to 10 September 2027. It will be open to the public on Tuesdays-Thursdays every week, with two tour slots each day. 

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 slots for September and October already released.

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.

Past Exhibitions

2019 : 100 Years of Women Officers

This formed part of wider celebrations of the centenary of the first women officers going on the beat in February 1919, including all six hats they have worn since then.

2022-2025 : A History of the Met

This looked at the lives and experiences of Met officers and staff ever since the organisation was founded in 1829. There were special focuses on royalty for Coronation year (2023) and the Dog Training Establishment for its seventieth anniversary (2024).

2025-2026 : 150 Years of the Crime Museum

The Police Museum gallery was given over to items from the Crime Museum collection to mark the appointment of the latter's first two curators on 12 April 1875. A virtual version is still available on Bloomberg Connects.