Future of UK policing to be transformed by AI – and it’s happening now | UK | News

The future of UK policing will see artificial intelligence used to boost the fight against crime and better serve victims, top officers have promised. A £75m cash-injection from the Home Office will create a new centre for AI policing that promises to get cases to court sooner and supercharge time-consuming analysis of evidence gathering such as viewing CCTV. Announcing the launch on Wednesday the head of the national police AI programme admitted he is open to working with controversial US tech giant Palantir.

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Palantir, founded by tech magnate Peter Thiel, is a prominent donor to US president Donald Trump, holds contracts with a number of UK public sector bodies. MPs have expressed concern over British reliance on a small number of US tech providers, with the Commons Science, Innovation and Technology Committee warning that it presents a “clear vulnerability”.

Palantir has launched a legal challenge against Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan’s move to block its £50 million contract with the Metropolitan Police.

Sir Sadiq argued that Palantir was the only supplier considered by the force and therefore procurement processes had not been followed.

But interim director of PoliceAI Alex Murray said he would work with any AI company if they could show that their tools are effective and responsible.

He said: “We’re open to working with all AI companies, providing off-the-shelf products, but also ones that help us build AI capability.

“I have two questions to any AI company: one is your tool effective; two, is it responsible?”

Mr Murray told how AI will help free up officers’ time for frontline work, improve support for victims and bringing more offenders to justice through faster, higher-quality investigations.

With around 50 employees combining frontline policing experience with AI expertise, PoliceAI will work on behalf of all 43 forces in England and Wales to identify, test and roll out AI tools and training, reducing duplication, delivering consistent high standards and driving significant savings.

The centre is focused on solutions to real-world policing problems, and through its first year will prioritise areas where AI can deliver the biggest immediate benefits.

Projects already underway include developing a tool to prepare and quality-check case files of evidence, saving time, reducing officer workload and supporting faster charging decisions. Pilots begin this year ahead of a national rollout in 2027.

Technology to identify and categorise child sexual abuse images has also been developed, reducing officers’ exposure to harmful material and speeding up investigations.

Tools to quickly analyse CCTV and other digital media, are also helping detectives identify leads earlier to secure evidence and get suspects into custody faster.

Mr Murray, a former temporary chief constable and National Crime Agency (NCA) Threat Director, added: “Crime and technology are evolving rapidly. Policing must keep pace by adopting AI responsibly to catch criminals and keep people safe.

“We have created a national AI centre to help policing work smarter – our job is to get responsible AI into the hands of officers and staff so that they can spend less time on bureaucracy and more time fighting crime and helping the victims, witnesses and communities they work so hard to protect.”

The launch is part of the police reform agenda, set out in the Government’s Police Reform White Paper published in January 2026, which aims to deliver the biggest redesign of policing for more than 60 years.

The centre is set to become part of the planned National Policing Service. This is a key element of the police reform ambition that will bring together existing bodies to tackle complex crime, reduce duplication, improve standards and access to technology, and better support local police forces in serving their communities.

Sarah Jones, Minister for Policing, said: “For too long, officers have spent hours behind desks processing paperwork instead of being out in their communities catching criminals. PoliceAI changes that. By putting the best of responsible AI into the hands of all 43 forces, we are freeing up millions of hours of police time, getting more cases to court faster, and delivering on our commitment to put more visible, effective policing at the heart of every community.

“This is the future of policing — and it is happening now.”