Met Dismisses Its Volunteer Police Chief After a Palantir AI Probe
The Metropolitan Police has dismissed James Deller, head of its Special Constabulary, after AI-assisted monitoring using Palantir’s software found he had used his work phone to copy two intimate images sent through WhatsApp’s “view once” feature. “His actions were an abuse of the trust put in him,” said Commander Pete Stevens. Mr Deller will be placed on the College of Policing’s barred list.
The misconduct was found during Project Galatasaray, a week-long operation using Palantir’s Foundry system to look for corruption and misconduct inside the force, and it lands in a live political argument. The Police Federation told officers in April to be “extremely cautious” about carrying Met devices off duty after the monitoring software was upgraded. The Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime blocked a two-year Palantir contract for criminal investigations, citing a “clear and serious breach” of procedure; Palantir is suing. Andy Burnham faces pressure from Labour MPs and trade unions to end government contracts with the company, which also works for the NHS and the Ministry of Defence.