Met cop suspended after AI tool ‘finds sexual content on work device’ | News UK

A Met Police officer has been suspended after artificial intelligence software allegedly found sexual material on a device issued by the force.

Special Chief Officer James Deller is one of more than 100 cops to have been referred by the software, created by Palantir Technologies and rolled out last month.

SCO Deller is now being investigated for allegedly having ‘sexualised content’ on the device.

If the allegation is proved, he could lose his job – but the matter is being treated as disciplinary and not criminal.

The force said: ‘The officer has not been arrested and there are no criminal allegations.’

A major inquiry, Operation Galatasary, has been set up by the force’s Directorate of Professional Standards to deal with the high number of referrals made by the software after it was bought for £487,000.

There have been accusations of fraud, sexual assault and misconduct in public office, and two officers have been arrested over unspecified allegations.

However, the use of the software has proved controversial. The Met Police Federation, a staff association representing 30,000 officers, said: ‘No one wants bad police, but officers do not deserve to be treated with this level of suspicion by their Big Brother Bosses.’

Palantir was also awarded a £330million contract by NHS England in 2023 to create the NHS Federated Data Platform (NHS FDP).

This, according to the NHS England website, will ‘connect vital health information across the NHS, helping staff deliver better care for patients and work more efficiently.’

But the data-sharing technology has raised concerns around privacy and around the technology itself, as some of Palantir’s other AI tools are used in global conflicts and in the US as part of the crackdown on immigration.

A £50million deal between the company and the Met Police, which would introduce tech to automate some aspects of investigations, was recently blocked by the Mayor of London.