Met Police dismisses volunteer chief after Palantir AI monitoring reveals deleted intimate images

The head of the Metropolitan Police's volunteer officer force has been removed from his post after an artificial intelligence monitoring system uncovered that he had used his police-issued phone to copy intimate images of a woman, the force has confirmed.

Special chief officer James Deller, who oversaw the Met's Special Constabulary, was dismissed on Friday following a misconduct hearing. The Special Constabulary is made up of unpaid volunteers who give up their own time to support policing across the capital, and its commander had been responsible for setting standards across that body.

According to the Met, the misconduct came to light through lawful business monitoring combined with Palantir's Foundry system, an artificial intelligence platform that the force has been using to help detect wrongdoing among its own personnel.

Investigators established that during July and August of 2025, Deller photographed two intimate images that had been sent to his personal mobile phone and used his work device to capture copies of them. The images had originally been shared through WhatsApp's "view once" function, a feature designed to make pictures disappear from a chat once the recipient has opened them.

Deller then forwarded the duplicated images back to his personal device and deleted them from the police phone, apparently in an attempt to erase any trace of the activity. It was the AI monitoring system, according to the force, that ultimately identified what he had done despite those deletion efforts.

The matter was uncovered as part of a week-long initiative known as Project Galatasaray, an operation that deployed the Palantir technology with the aim of identifying corruption and professional misconduct within the Met. The project forms part of a broader effort by the force to use data-driven tools to root out officers and staff who abuse their positions.

Commander Pete Stevens said Deller had failed to meet the standards expected of those serving in policing. "His actions were an abuse of the trust put in him and it is right that he is no longer able to serve in policing," Stevens said, adding that the overwhelming majority of Met officers and staff carry out their duties with dedication and integrity. He noted that the public and colleagues alike expect firm action against the small minority who undermine confidence in the force.

Stevens also highlighted the particular significance of the case because of the voluntary nature of the Special Constabulary. He said its members selflessly sacrifice their time to keep London safe, and therefore deserve to be led by individuals who demonstrate the highest standards in every part of their lives.

As a result of his dismissal, Deller will be placed on the College of Policing's barred list. Inclusion on that list means he will be prohibited from working in policing in any capacity in the future, effectively ending his career in the service.

The case has drawn fresh attention to the Met's relationship with Palantir, a US technology company founded by the controversial tech billionaire Peter Thiel. The force's dealings with the firm have already attracted criticism from the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime, known as Mopac, which blocked the Met from signing a two-year contract for artificial intelligence technology intended for use in criminal investigations.

Mopac said the force had failed to properly set out its procurement strategy, describing the situation as a "clear and serious breach" of procedure. Palantir has responded by suing Mopac, arguing that it unlawfully blocked the deal after taking the company's "values and ethics" into account, a factor the firm says should have been irrelevant to the decision.

Concerns about the deployment of AI monitoring within the Met were raised earlier in the year. In April, the Metropolitan Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers, urged members to be "extremely cautious" about carrying Met-issued devices while off duty after the force upgraded its Lawful Business Monitoring software. The federation's general secretary, Matt Cane, said staff had not been informed that the upgrade included the introduction of Palantir's artificial intelligence technology, which appeared to mark its first deployment to monitor Met systems.

In May, Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner Matt Jukes told the London Assembly's Police and Crime Committee that officers were not under any "additional surveillance in the workplace" following the introduction of AI aimed at identifying bad behaviour. He acknowledged that the force had weighed the reputational risks of adopting what he described as a "divisive" technology, but maintained that it helped uncover "unacceptable, dishonest, corrosive behaviours" among officers.

Palantir holds contracts with a number of UK public bodies, including the NHS and the Ministry of Defence. Prime Minister Andy Burnham is currently facing growing pressure from Labour MPs and trade unions to end government contracts with the company.

Former Labour deputy leader Tom Watson, who recently joined Palantir, has warned against what he called "mob rule" in government procurement. Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Political Thinking With Nick Robinson, Lord Watson said he would ask his former colleagues whether they wanted the rule of law or mob rule to guide procurement practice, cautioning that following the latter path would lead to serious trouble.

The dismissal of Deller represents a significant moment for the Met, which has faced sustained scrutiny over its use of emerging technology and its efforts to tackle misconduct within its ranks. It also illustrates the growing role that AI systems are playing in internal investigations, raising questions about privacy, oversight and the balance between catching wrongdoing and monitoring the workforce.