Police face cuts after mayor blocks AI tech deal

The Metropolitan Police Commissioner has warned of potential cuts to frontline police services and officer numbers following the mayor of London's decision to block a £50m deal with the US technology company Palantir.

Scotland Yard had been in talks about using the firm's artificial intelligence (AI) technology to speed up criminal investigations and root out corrupt officers.

But the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) said it was not satisfied the deal was value for money.

In a report due to be presented at the London Policing Board on Thursday, Sir Mark Rowley said the force now faced "stark" choices which meant it would "be able to achieve less for London's communities".

In the report, Sir Mark referred to the "tough choices" already made by the Met over the last two years, which have included losing 3,300 officers and staff.

He said the force faces a £125m funding gap in the next financial year and needed to make savings through "cutting-edge technology," including using AI to speed up tasks such as searching through reports or phone data.

By automating such tasks, the Met expected to be able to cut 500 jobs, however the commissioner said that "as a direct result" of the decision to block the deal with Palantir "we are now scoping tough choice options".

He said: "These will range from stopping services, reducing teams, or changing how to deliver a service", and 500 job reductions will now "directly hit the delivery of policing to London's communities".

He added: "This is a stark picture and one we are concerned about."

Sir Mark said that the impact may be reduced if a new deal is made, but "any new procurement process that meets MOPAC's expectations is likely to take at least a number of months".

He warned: "We cannot just hope for the best."

The leader of the Conservative group at City Hall, Susan Hall, told BBC London that the commissioner "had had the rug pulled from beneath his feet" by the mayor.

The Met had proposed a £25.3m contract with Palantir UK for 2026-27 to support criminal investigations and reforms aimed at improving the force's culture and standards.

It included an optional one-year extension worth a further £24.8m.

But MOPAC said it was not satisfied the Met had adequately ensured or demonstrated value for money.

It also cited concerns around the firm's values and ethics, although legally this cannot influence a deal refusal.

In the report, Sir Mark said the procurement process followed by the Met was "legally and commercially compliant" and that Palantir was "selected from a Crown Commercial Service framework agreement".

He added that MOPAC had been "well engaged" in the Met's approach and had provided "detailed scrutiny" which the force had supported them with.

A Palantir spokesperson said its software had already helped several English police forces, "including identifying 1,000 women in Bedfordshire whose partners had a history of domestic violence in a single year".

They said they had also "helped Scotland Yard tackle serious corruption and criminality within its force" in a pilot that used AI for detection.

"We are proud of that work and stand ready to further support law enforcement in London and across the UK," they added.

The firm, founded by the US billionaire Peter Thiel, has faced criticism over its work with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Israeli military, prompting calls for public bodies to consider the ethics when awarding contracts.

On Monday, the Times reported that Palantir intends to sue the mayor over the blocking of its deal with the Met.

A spokesperson for the mayor, Sir Sadiq Khan, said: "The mayor fully supports the Met using modern technology to drive efficiencies and improve the performance of the police.

"However, as with all procurement, we must always ensure the correct processes are followed and that Londoners get value for money.

"In this case, the Met did not present its procurement strategy for approval, as required, and the process followed by the Met did not adequately demonstrate value for money for Londoners for a proposed contract at this value.

"Given the tight budgetary constraints the police are working under, it's even more important that robust processes are followed when awarding large contracts."

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