Derbyshire police officer under investigation for using AI to create evidence

First reported by the Financial Times on Friday, June 12, it is thought to be the first case of its kind in the UK criminal justice system.

The officer has not yet been named, and at this stage it is not clear what kind of evidence and cases may be called into question.

A spokesperson for Derbyshire Constabulary said: “A criminal investigation has been launched into an allegation of perverting the course of justice after the alleged use of AI systems by an officer to create evidential material in a number of cases.

“The force is working closely with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in relation to any potentially impacted cases, however, the investigation is in its early stages, so no further details are available.

“The officer involved has been removed from frontline duties, pending the outcome of the investigation. No arrests have been made.”

A representative for the CPS said: “We are working with Derbyshire Police as it conducts enquiries into the alleged use of artificial intelligence by an officer. We are engaging with defence teams and the courts in appropriate cases.”

Despite the revelation, Derbyshire has not prohibited other officers from using AI for approved tasks.

The spokesperson said: “There has not been any stop on officers and staff using AI, however, we continue to keep our use of AI under constant review.

“The force is not part of any formal trials regarding the use of AI in creating material for court, however, tools are used for some elements, such as the redaction of documents, but force policy mandates that these be checked manually prior to use within any proceedings.

“As a force we are clear that AI and other technologies are an important part of delivering the best possible service to the public, however, we also recognise that we must use these in an ethical, proportionate, and appropriate manner.”

Police forces have previously been advised by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) to stop using AI systems to prepare court statements and other tasks because they might not be reliable enough.

AI tools are rapidly being adopted for various policing applications, and the Government this week launched a new National Centre for AI in Policing – taking over the NPCC’s AI remit.

Interim director Alex Murray said: “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.

“Our work is rooted in transparency. We are committed to explaining how our chosen tools work and are evaluated, and the safeguards in place, to support public confidence in how policing uses AI.”