UK police watchdog urges forces to tighten AI policies

The Independent Office for Police Conduct urged police chiefs in England and Wales to review their artificial-intelligence policies after forces referred allegations that officers and staff had used AI inappropriately and outside permitted policy or guidance.

The watchdog said it wrote to the National Police Chiefs’ Council warning that officers could unknowingly commit misconduct unless force policies are fit for purpose, regularly updated and communicated effectively. It is conducting two independent investigations into AI-related gross-misconduct allegations and said it knows of other AI-linked misconduct investigations handled or completed locally by forces without a prior IOPC referral. The allegations have not been presented as proven findings.

IOPC Director General Rachel Watson called for clear conditions of use, frequent policy reviews, practical day-to-day procedures, visible leadership and training focused on applying AI in practice. “It’s crucial all police forces have a robust AI policy in place; that’s the start point,” she said. The IOPC did not identify the forces, people, AI systems or use cases involved in the referrals.

The intervention comes as the government expands AI-supported police work. The Home Office launched PoliceAI in June as a national centre for responsible AI development, piloting and scaling, backed by £75 million over three years. It said 2026–27 pilots in up to 10 forces would cover triaging, disclosing and summarising digital evidence, with plans to scale that work to all forces in 2027. The centre also plans a public registry of AI tools used in policing, while models will be independently tested for accuracy and bias.