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The Metropolitan Police Federation gave a warning to 30,000+ London officers to be cautious with work gadgets after the Met secretly planted Palantir’s AI to monitor internal misconduct.
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The Federation accused the force of treating its own officers like suspects, branding the move an unjustifiable invasion of privacy.
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The Met defended the rollout, saying the technology had already produced arrests and exposed widespread misconduct within the organization.
The Metropolitan Police Federation is pushing back hard after London’s police force quietly plants powerful AI software to monitor its own officers, without giving the staff association any advance notice.
Met Deploys Palantir AI Without Notifying the Federation
The Federation, which represents more than 30,000 London officers, said the force gave it no prior warning before rolling out Palantir’s AI software to analyze officers’ movements and identify potential misconduct.
After learning about the deployment, the Federation immediately sent an alert to all members, advising them to stay extremely cautious when handling devices from the Metropolitan Police when not on duty.
The Federation believes that using automated suspicion tools against officers will disrupt morale and break down trust within the force. Matt Cane, the Federation’s general secretary, said courageous colleagues across London do not deserve to face this level of suspicion from their own bosses, comparing the force’s leadership to Big Brother.
Cane made clear that he has no sympathy for officers who should not be in the service. He said the good, brave, and hard-working officers the Federation represents are usually the first to insist that those unfit to serve should leave policing.
The same principle applies to criminals outside the force. Just as the Federation wants unfit officers removed, London’s courts are removing dangerous criminals from the streets, as seen when a South London man was jailed for 8 years after his ‘UKWhite’ drug network was exposed on the dark web , sending a clear message that illegal operations, whether run by a corrupt officer or a drug dealer, will face severe consequences.”
But he drew a firm line at using AI to monitor officers without their knowledge. According to Cane, the approach is neither proportionate, just, nor proper, and he described it as an unforgivable and outrageous breach of privacy.
The Federation is now also weighing legal measures against the force, citing officers’ right to a private life under Article 8 of the Human Rights Act.
What Palantir’s Software Does and What the Met Found
Palantir Technologies originally developed its software for U.S. and allied military intelligence. Today, public and private sector organizations worldwide use the platform to pull together data from multiple sources and generate AI-powered insights for operations and strategic decisions.
The Metropolitan Police Service confirmed last week that it is scaling up its use of this technology internally, with the goal of strengthening professional standards, tackling misconduct, and rebuilding public confidence.
The early results, according to the MPS, have been substantial. The technology helped fish out suspected corruption, resulting in the apprehension of two personnel and two others under suspension.
The force is also currently investigating 98 officers for allegedly abusing the shift rostering system, issuing prevention notices to roughly 500 of them. Additionally, the MPS is reviewing 42 senior leaders for misconduct connected to breaches of top-tier working policy.
The Met Stands Behind the Decision
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley defended the move, saying that criminals constantly adapt how they utilize technology, as well as policing needs to keep up, not only on the streets but inside the organization itself.
Rowley added that the Met is using technology, data, and stronger legal powers to address poor behavior directly, raise standards, and repair its foundations. He framed this as exactly the kind of action the public expects from the force.
The standoff between the Federation and the MPS points to a bigger question about where AI surveillance belongs in policing. The Federation’s objection goes beyond privacy. Officers found out through a staff alert (not a formal consultation) that an algorithm had been watching them. The Met, meanwhile, points to arrests and exposed misconduct as proof the system works.
Thousands of London officers are now navigating a new reality: the same technology their force uses to monitor the public is now monitoring them, and many are learning about it only after the fact.
