Metropolitan Police Federation warns officers not to take work phones home

The MPF – which represents more than 30,000 frontline police officers in London – says it was not informed that the force would be using Palantir’s Artificial Intelligence to analyse the movements of officers in the capital.

Last week the MPS revealed it was using the technology to highlight patterns such as minimal workplace attendance alongside declared secondary employment, allowing officers from Professional Standards to assess whether policies are being complied with and look into whether further action or support is required.

A statement from the force said: “The pilot helps surface potential warning signs such as persistent absence, unusual overtime patterns or repeated system misuse. Evidence shows these trends can indicate deeper issues affecting wellbeing, behaviour or integrity. Earlier visibility allows the Met to act more fairly and consistently, ensuring officers receive timely support or face appropriate action before problems escalate.”

During the course of the previous week the force said its Professionalism Directorate had used these capabilities and technologies to lead targeted activity identifying potential breaches and misconduct. These included:

• Instances of serious corruption and criminality, including abuse of authority for sexual purposes, fraud, sexual assault, rape, misconduct in public office and misuse of MPS systems. Three officers have been arrested. Another two officers have been served with notices of investigation for gross misconduct and suspended.
• Abuse of the IT system that rosters shifts by police officers for personal or financial gain. A total of 98 officers are now being assessed for misconduct or gross misconduct and around a further 500 have received prevention notices.
• Breach of the MPS hybrid working policy – 42 senior leaders between the rank of Chief Inspector and Chief Superintendent are being assessed for misconduct for serious non-compliance, with some officers not going into an MPS building for less than 40 per cent of their working time. The MPS policy for operational officers is between 80-100 per cent office attendance.
• Breach of the MPS’s declarable association policy – we have evidence some officers are Freemasons but they have not informed us. A total of 12 officers are now under investigation for gross misconduct. Another 30 officers have received prevention notices for suspected but uncorroborated undeclared membership.

MPS Commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, said: “Criminals are constantly adapting how they use technology and policing has to keep pace, not just on the streets but within our own organisation. This is the Met using technology, data and stronger legal powers to confront poor behaviour, raise standards and fix our foundations as our communities would expect.

“The vast majority of our officers and staff serve London with dedication and integrity and rightly expect us to act firmly against those who abuse their position or undermine public trust, particularly in leadership roles.

“By bringing together the information we already lawfully hold, we can identify risk earlier, act faster and be fairer and more consistent. Alongside new vetting powers, this gives us the tools we need to remove those who should not be in policing and strengthen culture for the future.”

In response to these revelations, the MPF has urgently contacted all colleagues and advised them to be “extremely cautious about carrying Metropolitan Police issued devices when off duty”.

It warned that the automated suspicion being placed on officers by the force will cause significant damage to morale and trust. It has also announced that it will consider legal action against the force over the rights of officers to have private life under Article 8 of the Human Rights Act.

“Courageous colleagues across London do not deserve to be treated with this level of suspicion by their Big Brother Bosses,” said Matt Cane, General Secretary of the Metropolitan Police Federation. Police officers – like all people – have a right to a private life. Where is the transparency on this purge and the reassurance that the correct checks and balances are there on such a significant move?

“This use of AI will seriously damage the trust Metropolitan Police officers have in the force and ride a coach and horses through already plummeting morale. No one wants bad police officers in policing. The good, brave and hard-working officers we represent are the first to say that the small minority of officers who are not fit to serve should not be in the police service.

“But this use of AI to spy on our officers is not proportionate, just or proper. It’s an outrageous and unforgivable invasion of privacy.”

“For several weeks, the Federation has known of Met’s intention to upgrade its Lawful Business Monitoring software, yet we were never informed that the upgrade would include the deployment of Palantir’s Artificial Intelligence. This continuous 24/7 geo-location tracking is highly intrusive and risks monitoring officers when they are off duty, on rest days, or at home. This presumption of wrongdoing and attack on officer’s personal lives is unacceptable.

“Many officers remain unaware of the full extent of this monitoring and how the AI system analyses their location data. There is a clear risk that this information could be misused to question overtime claims, sickness absence, performance, or conduct without proper factfinding or context.

“Overall, the draconian approach raises significant legal and privacy concerns regarding proportionality, GDPR compliance, and the right to private life under Article 8 of the Human Rights Act. The Federation now advises all members to be extremely cautious about carrying Metropolitan Police issued devices when off duty. The Federation is taking urgent legal advice on these matters and will issue further guidance to members in due course if required.”