Greater Manchester Police
Microsoft 365 Copilot (generative AI), supplied by Microsoft
OperationalOfficial publicationPAI-999D6BD6
- Body
- Greater Manchester Police
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Technology
- Microsoft 365 Copilot (generative AI)
- Supplier
- Microsoft
- Status
- Operational
In routine use by the named body, on the evidence of a public source. - Stage
- In use now
- Since
- Not known
- Legal basis
- Internal force policy; no dedicated statutory framework for generative AI use
- Oversight
- Individual force AI-use policy; no independent national oversight body confirmed
- Evidence
- Official publication
Police force, government department or public body publication - Source
- Greater Manchester Police Freedom of Information response 01/FOI/26/016771/B, 18 May 2026; Sky News investigation, February 2026, via Resultsense
- Last checked
- Record code
PAI-999D6BD6
Notes
Named by a Sky News survey in February 2026 as one of the forces still allowing Microsoft 365 Copilot. Greater Manchester Police defended its use when surveyed. The survey found at least 21 English forces using it; North Wales Police and Dyfed-Powys Police had blocked it, and police in Scotland and Northern Ireland did not allow it. Eight forces confirmed it cannot be used in investigations without being named.
Update, November 2026. A Greater Manchester Police Freedom of Information response dated 18 May 2026 (reference 01/FOI/26/016771/B), read directly, lists Copilot under deployed tools: "CoPilot Chat is also available across the Force". It gives no licence numbers or start date. The force says it holds no data protection impact assessment for any generative AI tool, has carried out no standalone audit of generative AI use (assurance is incorporated into wider information governance and digital risk reviews), holds no records of AI output errors and has no AI-specific training. The wording is Copilot Chat, which may be a narrower product than Microsoft 365 Copilot; the record's technology label is kept.
Other systems used by Greater Manchester Police
| Deployment | Country | Supplier | Since | Status | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greater Manchester PoliceLive and Retrospective Facial Recognition | United KingdomForce area | Not specified in source | 2025 | Operational |
Microsoft 365 Copilot (generative AI) elsewhere in United Kingdom
See them in the tracker| Deployment | Country | Supplier | Since | Status | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Midlands PoliceMicrosoft 365 Copilot (generative AI) | United KingdomWest Midlands | Microsoft | 2025 | Paused | |
| West Yorkshire PoliceMicrosoft 365 Copilot (generative AI) | United Kingdom | Microsoft | — | Operational | |
| Cheshire ConstabularyMicrosoft Copilot (generative AI) | United KingdomCheshire | Microsoft | — | Operational | |
| Avon and Somerset PoliceMicrosoft Copilot Chat (generative AI) | United KingdomAvon and Somerset | Microsoft | — | Operational | |
| Derbyshire ConstabularyMicrosoft Copilot (generative AI) | United KingdomDerbyshire | Microsoft | 2025 | Operational |