Special chief officer James Deller, who led the Metropolitan Police’s volunteer officers, was dismissed after a misconduct hearing on Friday. He will also be placed on the College of Policing’s barred list, preventing him from serving in policing again.
Investigators found that Deller used a police-issued phone in July and August 2025 to photograph two intimate images sent to his personal phone. The images had been shared through WhatsApp’s “view once” feature, then copied back to his personal device after he deleted them from the work phone.
The misconduct was identified during Project Galatasaray, a week-long operation using Palantir’s Foundry system and lawful business monitoring to detect suspected corruption and professional misconduct within the Met. Commander Pete Stevens said Deller had abused the trust placed in him and could no longer serve in policing.
The Met’s use of AI has drawn scrutiny. Deputy Commissioner Matt Jukes told the London Assembly’s Police and Crime Committee in May that officers were not subject to additional workplace surveillance, while acknowledging the reputational risks of what he called divisive technology.
The London Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime blocked a proposed two-year Met contract with Palantir, saying the force had committed a clear and serious procurement breach by failing to set out its strategy. Palantir is suing over that decision, arguing that its values and ethics were treated as an irrelevant consideration.