Police chief is suspended after AI software finds 'sexual content' on his work phone

By LETTICE BROMOVSKY, NEWS REPORTER Published: 09:02, 25 May 2026 | Updated: 09:02, 25 May 2026 A police chief has been suspended from the force after an AI software found 'sexual content' on his work phone.  Special Chief Officer James Deller was among more than 100 officers flagged after controversial monitoring software developed by US tech giant Palantir Technologies was introduced last month. The software, which scans data held on work phones and laptops, triggered an alert linked to SCO Deller - who oversees around 1,200 special constables. The civilian volunteer officer, who is understood to also work in the NHS, now faces disciplinary action and could ultimately be dismissed if the allegation is upheld. However, the matter is not being treated as a criminal investigation. A spokesman for the Met said: 'The officer has not been arrested and there are no criminal allegations.' The Metropolitan Police spent £487,000 bringing in the AI system as part of a wider internal standards crackdown. The volume of referrals generated by the technology has led Scotland Yard to launch a major internal investigation known as Operation Artificial, overseen by the force's Directorate of Professional Standards. Special Chief Officer James Deller was among more than 100 officers flagged after controversial monitoring software developed by US tech giant Palantir Technologies was introduced last month Other officers caught up in the operation have faced allegations including fraud, sexual assault and misconduct in public office. Two officers have already been arrested over separate unspecified allegations. The Met Police Federation, which represents around 30,000 officers, criticised the use of the technology and warned against treating rank-and-file police with suspicion. A spokesman told the Sun: 'No one wants bad police, but officers do not deserve to be treated with this level of suspicion by their Big Brother Bosses.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.