West Yorkshire Police

Named by a Sky News survey in February 2026 as one of the forces still allowing Microsoft 365 Copilot. West Yorkshire Police said staff receive guidance on using it responsibly. 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 West Yorkshire Police Freedom of Information response (reference 2656518/25, dated October 2025) states that the force has "concluded a limited user pilot of Microsoft Copilot and its premium features", that access to policing data was restricted during the pilot, that the aim was to assess time savings across Microsoft applications, and that the force was still reviewing the outcomes. It says the force aligns with the NPCC AI Covenant and AI Checklist and the ALGO-CARE framework, carries out data protection impact assessments for higher-risk processing, and has oversight through a quarterly Strategic Oversight Board (with the Deputy Chief Constable as senior information risk owner), a Digital Policing Tactical Board and an ethics committee consulted when an issue arises. The response gives no pilot dates and does not say whether Copilot was then rolled out. It pre-dates the Sky News survey of February 2026 on which this record's status rests, so the two sources together show a limited pilot concluded by October 2025 and a force that defended its use in February 2026. Whether Copilot is available force-wide is not established; the status of operational may overstate a continuing pilot.