- Herrmann advocates for advanced artificial intelligence methods to enhance criminal investigations.
Bavaria's Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann from the CSU party is looking to boost the use of AI in facial recognition in public areas, which is currently heavily regulated. According to him, law enforcement needs more tools for biometric facial recognition in criminal probes. "The cops are in dire need of more ways to utilize biometric facial recognition for investigation purposes," Herrmann stated.
This notion was previously discussed in "Munich Mercury" and Bavarian Broadcasting. The plan is to utilize footage from existing cameras in public spaces like train stations and analyze it using AI to spot possible wrongdoers.
Herrmann highlighted the significant potential of biometric facial recognition in policing, backed by the Bavarian State Criminal Police Office's assessments. At present, using specialized facial recognition software is limited to matching unknown suspects' photos with the nationwide wanted list. Last year, the State Criminal Police Office handled over 4,600 cases involving facial recognition software during investigations, and in about 1,200 instances, there were matches with known police individuals, providing crucial leads for further probe, Herrmann underlined.**
However, Herrmann expressed criticism towards a draft bill proposed by the Federal Ministry of the Interior, which excludes real-time facial recognition in public areas, while only allowing biometric comparison of wanted photos with public photos. "Overzealous data protection shouldn't result in shielding criminals from prosecution," Herrmann argued. In his opinion, this kind of usage could be lawful based on EU directives.
The Commission has expressed interest in the proposal to enhance the use of AI in facial recognition in public areas, as presented by Bavaria's Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann. During a recent discussion, Herrmann stressed the need for law enforcement to have more tools for biometric facial recognition in criminal investigations.
