East Midlands police end Palantir AI trial after two years

The East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU) has decided not to continue using Palantir’s data analysis software following a two-year trial involving information from Leicestershire Police, according to a BBC report.

The regional policing unit, which investigates serious and organised crime across five counties, began testing Palantir Foundry in October 2024 to assess whether the technology could support investigations while meeting accountability and ethical requirements.

The trial ended after Home Office funding came to an end, with EMSOU deciding against a new contract following an assessment of the project’s potential benefits and future funding.

Palantir is a US technology company whose software enables organisations to combine, search and analyse large datasets, including through artificial intelligence and machine learning. Its systems are used by government agencies, defence organisations, healthcare providers and police forces.

EMSOU covers Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and Northamptonshire, investigating offences including murder, terrorism and drug trafficking.

The unit has not disclosed which datasets were used beyond confirming the involvement of Leicestershire Police information. It cited operational security for withholding further details and commercial confidentiality for not revealing the trial’s cost.

Regional Assistant Chief Constable Ian Green said the trial had examined how the technology could serve the public interest “while upholding the highest standards of accountability and ethics”.

He said the work was subject to strict “checks, balances and independent review”.

Green added: “Following the scoping work and assessment of what it would deliver, including our future funding streams, we have taken the decision not to take the project further,”

“We continue to embrace innovation and look at how new technology can support us in policing, and we will continue to explore new ways of targeting serious organised crime in our region and beyond.”

EMSOU has said Palantir must demonstrate that its systems have been disconnected from the unit’s infrastructure and that the policing data has been deleted.

The decision comes as Palantir’s involvement in UK public services continues to attract scrutiny over data privacy, surveillance and human rights.

The company says its software is used by 11 UK police forces and has supported investigations into domestic abuse, organised theft and police corruption. It has cited examples including the identification of women whose partners had histories of domestic violence and assistance with investigations into cash machine thefts.

Palantir also supplies technology to NHS organisations, including University Hospitals of Leicester and Sherwood Forest Hospitals. The company says its systems have helped healthcare providers increase surgical activity and improve patient processes, although campaigners have raised concerns about its public-sector contracts.

A Palantir spokesperson said: “How that software is used is entirely under the control of the customer with data only able to be processed in accordance with their strict instructions,”

Amnesty International UK welcomed EMSOU’s decision.

Oliver Feeley-Sprague, the charity’s military, security and policy director, said: “People want policing that serves communities, not controversial contractors,”

“Palantir has become a growing liability for any public body that values human rights and public confidence.”

The decision means EMSOU will have to consider other technology options if it wishes to develop similar data analysis capabilities for serious and organised crime investigations.

TechSparx previously reported that Coventry councillors backed a review aimed at ending the council’s Palantir contract in July 2026. Councillors voted 26 to 25 in favour of examining the agreement, including how the software is used and whether alternative suppliers could be considered.

Image source: Palantir newsroom