Special Chief Officer James Deller, who led the Metropolitan Police's Special Constabulary, was removed from his position after an accelerated misconduct hearing on Friday. The probe found that in July and August 2025, SCO Deller had used his police-issued phone to photograph intimate images of a woman sent to his personal phone.
Investigators used lawful business monitoring and Palantir's Foundry system, which uses artificial intelligence, to uncover his conduct. The original images were sent using WhatsApp's "view once" feature, designed to make images disappear after they have been opened. Deller then sent copies of these images back to his personal device before deleting them from his work phone.
Barred from future police service
SCO Deller will be added to the College of Policing's barred list, making him ineligible for future police service. This came to light during a week-long operation using advanced technology targeting professional misconduct and corruption within the Met.
Software company Palantir, founded by controversial tech billionaire Peter Thiel, holds contracts with other UK public sector bodies, including the NHS and the Ministry of Defence. Palantir was previously blocked from a £50m contract with the Met over objections by City Hall and concerns over the company's "values and ethics".
Palantir legal dispute
The tech company in July announced it was suing the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime at the High Court. Palantir's lawyers called the move to block the deal, in May, an "unlawful veto".
Commander Pete Stevens said: "The vast majority of Met officers and staff serve London with dedication and integrity, and they rightly expect robust action against the small minority who abuse their position and undermine public trust."
"That is particularly true of those who serve in the Special Constabulary. They are volunteers who selflessly give up their time to keep London safe. They deserve to be led by people who demonstrate the highest standards in all parts of their lives."
"SCO Deller failed to meet that bar. He let himself down but more importantly, he let the Special Constabulary down. His actions were an abuse of the trust put in him and it is right that he is no longer able to serve in policing."
Government contract pressure
Prime Minister Andy Burnham is under significant pressure from Labour MPs and unions to end Government contracts with Palantir. Former Labour deputy leader Lord Tom Watson, who recently joined Palantir, warned against "mob rule" in Government procurement practices.
Lord Watson of Wyre Forest told BBC's Political Thinking With Nick Robinson: "One of the things I'd say to my former colleagues is 'Do you want to let the rule of law lead procurement practice, or do you want to let mob rule to lead procurement practices?' Because you get yourself in a lot of trouble if you go down on the latter one."
In May, Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner Matt Jukes told the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee that officers were not under any "additional surveillance in the workplace" after the force used AI in a bid to root out bad behaviour. He said the force had weighed the reputational risk of using the "divisive" technology, which he said identified "unacceptable, dishonest, corrosive behaviours" from officers.
