Derbyshire Police officer faces criminal probe for allegedly using AI to fabricate evidence

Derbyshire Police officer accused of using AI to 'create evidence'

Police have launched a criminal investigation into an officer accused of using artificial intelligence (AI) systems to "create evidential material in a number of cases". The Derbyshire Police officer has been removed from frontline duties, pending the outcome of the investigation, said the force. The officer is alleged to have perverted the course of justice, but no arrests have been made, said police. A Crown Prosecution Service spokesperson said they were working with police, adding: "We are engaging with defence teams and the courts in appropriate cases." They added: "As police inquiries continue, it would not be appropriate to comment further." Derbyshire Police 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 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." It comes in the same week that a new national centre for AI in policing, called PoliceAI, was established. At the launch on Wednesday, PoliceAI 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." Listen to BBC Radio Derby on Sounds and follow BBC Derby on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected] or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210.

Police officer under criminal investigation over alleged use of AI

Unidentified officer removed from frontline duties in the first known case of its kind in the UK A police officer is under criminal investigation over the alleged use of artificial intelligence and has been removed from frontline duties in the first known case of its kind in the UK. The officer, who has not been named, is being investigated over allegations of using the technology to "create evidential material in a number of cases" and perverting the course of justice. Derbyshire police told the Financial Times: "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 in relation to any potentially impacted cases." The force added the investigation was "in its early stages" and no further details were available. It said: "The officer involved has been removed from frontline duties, pending the outcome of the investigation. No arrests have been made." The officer's role or the exact nature of the suspected misconduct has not been disclosed. A Crown Prosecution Service spokesperson said in a statement to the Guardian: "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. "As police enquiries continue, it would not be appropriate to comment further." The investigation comes after Alex Murray, head of the National Police Chiefs' Council's Police AI centre, revealed it had told a number of police forces to stop using AI systems to prepare court statements and other tasks because they might not be reliable enough. In April, the Metropolitan police launched investigations into hundreds of officers after using an AI tool built by the US tech company Palantir to root out rogue officers. The software was deployed by the Met over the course of a week, surveilling staff members using data the force has ready access to, unearthing rule-breaking ranging from work-from-home violations to suspected corruption and criminal allegations such as rape. The Met said as a result of the software, evidence had been found tying a small number of officers to serious cases of misconduct and criminality, resulting in the arrest of three officers for offences including abuse of authority for sexual purposes, fraud, sexual assault, misconduct in public office and misuse of police systems.

Cop Accused of Using AI to Fake Evidence

Can't-miss innovations from the bleeding edge of science and tech Law enforcement agencies across the world have rushed to integrate AI into their investigations, promising faster arrests and higher case closure rates. The rising number of wrongful arrests attributed to AI facial recognition systems, however, tells another story: that speed and accuracy are two entirely different things. But while false arrests due to facial recognition software can easily be blamed on glitchy tech, an even more disturbing pattern is starting to emerge, as AI-wielding officers don't just misidentify suspects, but use the technology to fabricate evidence. Over the weekend, the BBC reported that officials in Derbyshire County, England are investigating one law enforcement officer who's alleged to have used generative AI to "create evidential material in a number of cases." The yet-unnamed officer has not been arrested, but has been suspended from duty pending the outcome of the investigation, which is reportedly being undertaken by Derbyshire police and the Crown Prosecution Service. "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," a Derbyshire police spokesperson told the Financial Times. It's the first case of its kind in the UK, coming days after the country's brand-new national PoliceAI center issued guidance advising officers to stop using generative AI to prepare court statements due to the tech's tendency to hallucinate answers. "We've said to some police forces, 'you can't do that, because we haven't gone through all the checks and balances," Alex Murray, head of the PoliceAI center told the FT in an interview. "We need to slow it down a bit." While AI hallucinations have indeed found their way into police reports due to laziness -- like the case of Utah police whose report claimed an officer transformed into a frog -- the seriousness of the Derbyshire investigation suggests that's unlikely to be the case here. If anything, it sounds more like the Maine cops who were caught last year posting photographs of a "drug bust" that had clearly been tampered with using generative AI.

Derbyshire police officer investigated for using AI to 'create evidence' in multiple cases

The officer has been taken off frontline duties pending the outcome of the investigation. A Derbyshire police officer is being investigated over accusations they used AI to "create evidence". The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it was working with Derbyshire Police to investigate the use of AI by an officer. The officer is accused of using the technology to create evidence in a "number of cases", according to Derbyshire Police. The CPS said it is "engaging with" defence teams and courts which may have been affected by the alleged conduct. The officer has been taken off frontline duties pending the outcome of the investigation, and no arrests have been made. This comes after PoliceAI, a national centre for AI in policing, was launched this week. At the launch on Wednesday, PoliceAI 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." Read more from Sky News: Three teens arrested after man dies in park Man arrested after girl, 17, stabbed in neck Earlier this year, the West Midlands police chief was forced to apologise after it was revealed his officers relied on false information supplied by AI when deciding to ban fans of an Israeli football club from attending a match against Aston Villa in Birmingham. Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were barred from travelling to the game by the local Safety Advisory Group (SAG), which cited safety concerns based on advice from the police force. This included a reference by the force to a fictional match, fabricated by AI, between the Israeli club and West Ham United.

UK police officer suspended for allegedly using AI to fabricate evidence

A British police officer has been suspended from frontline duties after allegedly using artificial intelligence to generate fake evidence in criminal cases. The unnamed officer serves in the Derbyshire Constabulary, the territorial police force responsible for policing the county of Derbyshire, England. He has been removed from operational duties and is under criminal investigation on suspicion of perverting the course of justice, though no arrests have been made. British media reported the officer is accused of utilizing AI technology to "create evidential material in a number of cases." The Derbyshire Constabulary is currently working alongside the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to determine whether any ongoing criminal cases have been compromised, according to The Telegraph. Authorities have yet to announce exactly how many cases may have been affected by this single officer. A spokesman for the Derbyshire Constabulary told the Financial Times: "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." A Crown Prosecution Service spokesperson echoed this in a statement to the Guardian: "We are working with Derbyshire police as it conducts enquiries into the alleged use of artificial intelligence by an officer. We are engaging with defense teams and the courts in appropriate cases. As police enquiries continue, it would not be appropriate to comment further." This isolated incident comes at a critical time, as police forces across England actively seek to expand the use of artificial intelligence to reduce administrative workloads and improve overall efficiency. Notably, the investigation into the Derbyshire officer was revealed the very same week the U.K. established PoliceAI, a new national center dedicated to AI in policing. Backed by a record £75 million (US$100.6 million) over three years, the PoliceAI center will collaborate with all forces to identify, test, and scale AI tools that deliver real results, according to a statement published on the U.K. government website. "Early trials show the scale of what is possible: 800 hours of footage in a kidnapping case reviewed in 3 hours, producing an early guilty plea; and half a million e-books of data translated instantly, leading to the arrest of a serious organized crime gang," the government statement highlighted.