Head of Metropolitan Police's volunteer force sacked after AI finds he captured sexual images on work phone

The head of the Metropolitan Police's Special Constabulary has been sacked after he used his work phone to capture images of a sexual nature, the force has said.

James Deller, who led the force's volunteer officers, was dismissed after an accelerated hearing on Friday.

His misconduct was uncovered by investigators with the help of Palantir's Foundry system, which uses artificial intelligence (AI).

They found that in July and August 2025, the special chief officer used his police-issued device to photograph two intimate images of a woman that had been sent to his personal phone.

The original images were sent to him using WhatsApp's view once feature, which makes them disappear once they have been opened.

He then sent the copied images back to his personal device before deleting them from his work phone.

The misconduct was uncovered during a week-long operation called Project Galatasaray using advanced technology to tackle professional misconduct and corruption within the Met.

In SCO Deller's case, lawful business monitoring and Palantir's Foundry system helped identify the images and other key evidence.

He will be added to the College of Policing's barred list, which means he will be ineligible for future police service.

'Failed to meet that bar'

Commander Pete Stevens said that those who serve in the Special Constabulary are "volunteers who selflessly give up their time to keep London safe. They deserve to be led by people who demonstrate the highest standards in all parts of their lives".

"SCO Deller failed to meet that bar," said Cdr Stevens. "He let himself down but more importantly, he let the Special Constabulary down.

"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."

US software company Palantir, founded by tech magnate Peter Thiel, holds contracts with UK public sector bodies, including the NHS and the Ministry of Defence.

Palantir's involvement in the UK has been controversial, and Prime Minister Andy Burnham is under pressure from Labour MPs and unions to end government contracts with the firm.

The company is suing London Mayor Lord Sadiq Khan's office after he blocked a £50m deal with the Met.
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In May, Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner Matt Jukes said officers were not under any "additional surveillance in the workplace" after the force used AI in a bid to root out bad behaviour.

He said the force had weighed the reputational risk of using the "divisive" technology, which he said identified "unacceptable, dishonest, corrosive behaviours" from officers.

(c) Sky News 2026: Head of Metropolitan Police's volunteer force sacked after AI finds he captured sex