A senior Special Constabulary officer has been suspended after alleged sexual content was found on his work phone.
Metropolitan Police Special Chief Officer James Deller is under investigation after the material was reportedly flagged by an AI tool.
Deller is one of more than 100 officers who have been referred by the controversial Palantir software introduced last month.
The software was deployed by the Met over a one-week period, analysing data already accessible to the force to monitor staff and identify potential misconduct ranging from breaches of working-from-home rules to suspected corruption and serious criminal allegations, including rape.
Palantir's AI platform works by connecting and searching through stores of disconnected datasets that the Met already lawfully possesses, including work phones and laptops.
It led to the suspicion of SCO Deller, who is in charge of 1,200 specials, for allegedly having “sexualised content” on a device, The Sun reported.
SCO Deller could be dismissed if the allegation is proven to be true, although it is being treated as a disciplinary not a criminal issue.
The Met said: “The officer has not been arrested and there are no criminal allegations.”
Palantir, which is founded by tech magnate Peter Thiel, a prominent donor to US President Donald Trump, holds contracts with other UK public sector bodies, including the NHS and the Ministry of Defence.
Scotland Yard had been in talks about using Palantir’s artificial intelligence technology to automate intelligence analysis in criminal investigations, the Guardian reported in April.
But London Mayor Sadiq Khan has blocked the £50million deal, as the mayor’s office was not satisfied the procurement process “adequately ensured or demonstrated value for money”, as the Met only engaged with one potential supplier.
It is understood that Sir Sadiq expects to speak to the Government about whether a company’s ethics should be considered in procurement processes.
Responding, Palantir accused Khan of “putting politics above safety”.
