The Crime Museum

The Crime Museum is a police collection in the basement of the Curtis Green Building in the City of Westminster, holding more than 500 items from investigations and crimes. Exhibits range from concealed weapons to stolen jewelry and tools used in burglaries and assaults, documenting decades of forensic work.

The collection began in 1874 with items seized under the Forfeiture Act of 1870 and became a teaching facility for Metropolitan Police Service officers one year later. It has since grown through evidence from headline cases kept for training and research purposes.

The museum displays traces of crimes and investigation tools collected for training London officers, offering insight into police work. Evidence sits in glass cases alongside handwritten notes and photographs from closed cases, showing how offenders were caught.

Access is restricted to police officers who visit by appointment, so the museum remains closed to the general public. Visitors not serving in law enforcement have no way to enter and should look into public archives or exhibitions about London crime cases instead.

Among the items are death masks of executed convicts, cast in wax or plaster to preserve facial features for later study. Clothing and personal belongings of Ruth Ellis, the last woman executed in Britain, are also kept here.

Location: City of Westminster

Inception: 1874

Address: c/o Room 1317, New Scotland Yard, London SW1H 0BG

Website: https://met.police.uk/police-forces/metropolitan-police/areas/about-us/about-the-met/met-museums-archives

GPS coordinates: 51.49861,-0.13306

Latest update: December 5, 2025 22:23