Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to set national standards and oversight for the use of AI chatbots by police forces in non-urgent queries, including safeguards for vulnerable users.

The Police Reform White Paper published in January set out the Government’s commitment to strengthen transparency around police use of AI in England and Wales. Through the establishment of Police AI, the new National Centre for AI in Policing, and an investment of £115 million over the next 3 years, the Government will support the safe, consistent and responsible adoption of AI across policing. This includes public‑facing applications such as non‑urgent contact.

Police AI will play a central role in setting national standards and strengthening oversight across all 43 police forces in England and Wales. It will support the identification, testing and responsible scaling of AI tools, including AI chatbots, so that deployments are evidence‑based, transparent and subject to appropriate safeguards. Police AI will also provide enhanced operational guidance, training and technical assurance for tools such as AI chatbots, including testing systems for accuracy, reliability and bias, and supporting forces to implement human oversight and safeguards for vulnerable users.

The Covenant for Using Artificial Intelligence in Policing provides a high-level framework for AI adoption by police forces. It sets out clear principles for the development and deployment of AI in policing and operates alongside existing statutory obligations. It is supported by published guidance from the College of Policing and local governance and ethics arrangements within forces. We expect all law enforcement agencies to work within the current laws.

Alongside this, Home Office officials remain continually engaged with all 43 forces in England and Wales to ensure uses of AI are deployed in a way that is lawful, proportionate and aligned with public expectations.