The Metropolitan Police Federation (MPF) has announced it is considering legal action against the Met over its use of an artificial intelligence tool developed by Palantir. The tool has been used to launch hundreds of investigations into suspected rogue officers, leading to three arrests for offences including sexual assault and misconduct in public office.
The MPF, which represents over 30,000 frontline officers, described the AI monitoring as an “outrageous and unforgivable invasion of privacy”. It warned officers not to use work devices when off duty, claiming the force had not informed them that the AI would analyse their movements.
The Met stated the technology brings together lawfully held data to identify patterns of behaviour, following high-profile cases such as the murder of Sarah Everard by officer Wayne Couzens. The force emphasised that the AI does not replace further fact-finding in investigations.
General secretary Matt Cane said the use of AI would “seriously damage” trust and morale, questioning its proportionality and compliance with GDPR and Article 8 of the Human Rights Act. He added that the federation was seeking urgent legal advice.
Palantir, co-founded by billionaire Peter Thiel, is known for supplying analytics to US military and police agencies. The Met defended the tool as a step towards early identification and prevention of misconduct.
