A regional policing unit dedicated to tackling serious and organised crime has decided not to continue using software from the controversial US tech giant Palantir after a two-year trial.

The US firm's technology, which allows large data sets to be analysed and searched easily, including through the use of AI, is being used by militaries and public services across the world.

East Midlands Special Operations Unit (Emsou) said it started a trial in October 2024 to see how well Palantir's software could help it investigate crime without compromising ethics or accountability.

But it has decided not to fund a new contract and told the BBC that Palantir will now have to demonstrate it has cut all links with the force's systems and has deleted all of its data.

Protesters regularly target Palantir over Israel's use of its technology in the Gaza conflict and opposition to its use in US immigration enforcement.

Privacy experts have also raised concerns that its tools enable surveillance and analysis of everything from social media posts to driving licences and DNA swabs.

But the company says its software has delivered better public services across UK organisations which include the NHS, the ministry of defence and 11 police forces.

Emsou, which investigates crimes including murder, terrorism offences and drug trafficking in Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and Northamptonshire, declined to disclose how exactly it used Palantir's technology during the pilot.

But it has confirmed the trial fed data from Leicestershire Police into an operating system called Foundry that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Palantir provided the BBC with a number of examples of how other forces had used its software to fight crime.

"This includes helping to improve the enforcement of Clare's Law by identifying 1,000 women in Bedfordshire whose partners have a history of domestic violence in a single year," a spokesperson said.

The spokesperson added it had also helped to convict a criminal gang that stole £700,000 from cash machines and helped the Metropolitan Police root out serious corruption and identify significant time savings.

Regional Assistant Chief Constable Ian Green said the East Midlands trial aimed to test how well the software could serve the public interest "while upholding the highest standards of accountability and ethics".

He added the trial was conducted with strict "checks, balances and independent review" but Emsou decided not to renew the contract after its Home Office funding ended.

"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," he said.

"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 said it could not disclose which datasets and sources were used during the trial for "operational security" and would not reveal the cost due to commercial confidentiality.

The Home Office did not want to add to Emsou's statement.

Palantir's critics have also raised concerns about its AI-enabled "war-fighting" technology.

The US has reportedly used Palantir's defence platform, Maven Smart System, to plan strikes across Iran in the last few months.

The firm faced questions over whether Maven might recommend incorrect targets - which could include civilians - and whether time-pressured commanders may not question those suggestions sufficiently.

Palantir said the company's role is only to provide software.

"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," a spokesperson said.

Palantir said NHS Trusts using its software had performed thousands of additional operations, reduced discharge times and improved the speed of diagnosis.

It said they include the University Hospitals of Leicester and Sherwood Forest Hospitals Trusts.

But Amnesty International UK is campaigning against a large NHS England contract with Palantir over its concerns about the firm’s impact on human rights.

In a statement, the charity's military, security and policy director, Oliver Feeley-Sprague, welcomed Emsou's decision to stop using Palantir Foundry.

"People want policing that serves communities, not controversial contractors," he said.

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

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