MORE people are using AI to ask the police watchdog to review complaints about forces and apply for judicial review of its decisions.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) received 3,051 requests to review the outcome of complaints made to police forces in 2025-26, up 24.3 per cent on the previous year.

IOPC director-general Rachel Watson said: “I don’t want to say it’s a bad thing … but it does actually generate work and when AI invents legislation as part of the complaint that gets more complicated.”

Investigators spot technology-aided applications because they have similar layouts and content and sometimes cite legislation that does not exist.

The proportion of requests upheld has gradually decreased from 39.5 per cent in 2022-23 to 26.8 per cent in 2025-26.

The watchdog has also seen a rise in the number of requests for it to call in cases for investigation or for judicial reviews of its decisions.

The IOPC said that, in 2025-26, at least a quarter of the requests for judicial review were “likely to have had AI help.”

The Home Office is expected to set out major changes to policing next month, including measures to raise the threshold for officers to face criminal prosecution for unjustified use of force.

The high-profile case of Sergeant Martyn Blake, who shot London gang member Chris Kaba in 2022, is among dozens of cases across England and Wales expected to be affected by the change.

Ministers are also set to consult on plans to raise the threshold for unlawful killing verdicts at inquests, which currently set unreasonable expectations for bereaved families, Ms Watson said.