Senior UK Detective Investigated Over Alleged Misuse of AI in Police Work
A senior detective with Derbyshire Constabulary is under investigation for alleged gross misconduct linked to the use of artificial intelligence, adding to growing concerns about how UK police forces are using AI in sensitive investigations and court-related work.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said it began investigating the officer after Derbyshire Constabulary referred the matter to the watchdog following an internal review of the officer’s use of AI.
According to people familiar with the case, the officer is a detective chief inspector who is alleged to have used an AI system to maintain “decision logs” during investigations.
Decision logs are used by senior investigators to document the reasons behind key decisions and actions taken during criminal investigations. Such records can later be disclosed to defence lawyers and examined during court proceedings.
The investigation makes the Derbyshire detective the most senior UK police figure publicly known to have faced an investigation over alleged misuse of AI.
The IOPC said Derbyshire Constabulary made a voluntary conduct referral on June 23 following an internal review that raised concerns about whether the officer’s use of artificial intelligence complied with force-issued guidance and restrictions.
After reviewing the referral, the watchdog determined that the matter warranted a formal investigation.
The IOPC said the officer had been formally notified that they were under investigation for alleged gross misconduct.
Derbyshire Constabulary confirmed that it had referred an officer to the IOPC over the use of AI but said the investigation was being conducted independently by the police watchdog and that it could not comment further.
It remains unclear which specific police rules the officer is alleged to have breached.
However, the use of external AI platforms in police investigations can create significant confidentiality concerns, particularly if sensitive investigative information is entered into systems operated by third-party technology companies.
There are also concerns over the reliability of AI-generated material. Many AI systems can produce inaccurate or fabricated information, commonly known as “hallucinations”, making their unsupervised use in court documents particularly sensitive.
The officer had not immediately responded to a request for comment.
Growing scrutiny of police use of AI
The Derbyshire investigation comes amid increasing scrutiny of the use of AI by police forces across England and Wales.
In June, reports emerged that Derbyshire Constabulary had launched a separate criminal investigation into a more junior detective over allegations involving the use of AI chatbots while preparing material for court cases.
The cases have raised questions about whether police officers and staff are following official safeguards designed to protect the integrity of evidence and confidential information.
The Crown Prosecution Service has also indicated that defence lawyers were informed in cases potentially affected by the conduct under investigation.
Gloucestershire staff member dismissed
Meanwhile, Gloucestershire Constabulary has dismissed a member of staff over the unauthorised use of ChatGPT for police-related work.
The staff member, whose identity has not been made public, was found to have repeatedly bypassed safeguards introduced by the force to prevent access to the AI chatbot.
According to the force, the individual had been using AI for police work since October 2024.
Gloucestershire Constabulary introduced a system on December 3, 2024, designed to block access to OpenAI’s ChatGPT. However, the staff member allegedly circumvented the restrictions and continued using the chatbot.
The force said the conduct was discovered in March 2025, after which the employee was immediately suspended.
The staff member was dismissed in recent weeks, making them the first known UK police employee to lose their job over AI misuse.
One of the allegations against the employee was that confidential police information had been entered into the AI chatbot, potentially compromising the integrity of sensitive information.
However, a subsequent investigation found that all the information entered into the chatbot had already been publicly available.
Concerns over AI-generated court material
The developments have intensified debate over how police forces should use AI while maintaining the accuracy, confidentiality and integrity of criminal investigations.
Police organisations have introduced restrictions on AI use partly because of the risk that AI-generated material could contain factual errors or fabricated information.
Those concerns are particularly serious when AI is used to prepare documents that could ultimately be presented in court, where inaccurate information could affect legal proceedings.
The separate cases involving Derbyshire and Gloucestershire demonstrate the difficulties police forces face as officers increasingly gain access to powerful AI tools while formal rules governing their use continue to develop.
The IOPC investigation into the Derbyshire detective remains ongoing, and no finding of misconduct has been made against the officer.
