Metropolitan Police Use of Palantir AI to Monitor Officer Behaviour
The Metropolitan Police Service (Met) is deploying artificial intelligence (AI) tools provided by the US technology company Palantir to monitor staff behaviour, aiming to identify underperforming officers, has learned.
Previously, the Met had neither confirmed nor denied its use of Palantir’s technology. It has now acknowledged employing Palantir’s AI to analyse internal data concerning sickness rates, duty absences, and overtime patterns to detect potential professional standards issues.
Police Federation Criticism of AI Monitoring
The Police Federation, representing rank-and-file officers, has strongly criticised this approach, describing it as “automated suspicion.” The Federation stated:
“Officers must not be subjected to opaque or untested tools that risk misinterpreting unsustainable workload pressures, sickness or overtime as indicators of wrongdoing.”
With a workforce of 46,000 officers and staff, the Met is the largest police force in the UK and has recently faced multiple controversies. These include failures in vetting officers properly, as highlighted by previous investigations, and the tolerance of discriminatory and misogynistic behaviour within the force.
Metropolitan Police’s Justification for AI Use
The Met explained:
“There is evidence to suggest a correlation between significant levels of sickness, increased absences or unusually high overtime, and failings in standards, culture and behaviour.”
The pilot project, which is time-limited, integrates data from various internal databases. Its objective is to identify behavioural patterns among officers and staff. The Met described this as part of a broader initiative to enhance standards and improve organisational culture.
Furthermore, the force emphasised:
“Palantir’s systems help to identify the patterns, but it is officers who then explore further and make any determinations on standards, performance or other issues.”
Concerns Over Algorithmic Profiling
A spokesperson for the Police Federation cautioned:
“Any system that profiles officers using algorithmic patterns must be treated with extreme caution. Policing already operates under some of the broadest and deepest scrutiny of any profession … If forces are serious about raising standards and public confidence, the focus must remain on proper supervision, fair processes and human judgment, not the automation of suspicion.”
Palantir’s Political and Contractual Context
Palantir has been involved in controversy related to Peter Mandelson’s role as Keir Starmer’s ambassador to the US, prior to Mandelson’s dismissal over his connections to Jeffrey Epstein. Mandelson co-owned Global Counsel, a lobbying firm that represents Palantir. The company was co-founded by Peter Thiel, a tech billionaire known for supporting former US President Donald Trump.
In 2023, Mandelson and Starmer visited Palantir’s technology showroom in Washington DC and met with its CEO, Alex Karp, shortly after Mandelson’s appointment. Members of Parliament have called for increased transparency regarding Palantir’s public sector contracts in the UK. These include a £330 million agreement signed with the NHS in November 2023 to provide a federated data platform, and a £240 million contract with the Ministry of Defence agreed in December 2025.
Political and Public Reactions
Martin Wrigley MP, a Liberal Democrat member of the Commons science, innovation and technology select committee, expressed concern about employee rights:
“I am concerned about the rights of officers as employees. Bosses spying on staff has been controversial even before some used AI to do so. Palantir seems to be watching over every aspect of government. Who is watching Palantir?”
Palantir’s AI technology is already in use by several other police forces to assist investigations, provided through two regional investigations units.
Labour’s policing white paper released last month stated the party’s commitment to supporting police adoption of AI responsibly, rapidly, and at scale. The plan includes investing over £115 million in the next three years to support the development, testing, and deployment of AI tools across all 43 police forces in England and Wales.
Palantir’s Statement on Public Service Contributions
A Palantir spokesperson said:
“We are proud that our software is being used to deliver better public services in the UK. That includes improving police operations, delivering more NHS operations, helping Royal Navy ships to stay at sea for longer.”
