Brandenburg's police chase thousands of license plates of stolen cars!

Brandenburg's police chase thousands of license plates of stolen cars!

The Brandenburg police take a sobering record of the use of its automated investigation system Kesy in 2022. A total of around 8,700 searches were carried out, with around 8,300 of these missions in search of stolen vehicles concentrated. This impressively shows how much the police rely on technical support in order to effectively tackle crime. According to the investigative authorities, around 150 of these measures have taken place on public prosecutor's arrangement, especially if there is an urgent suspicion of serious crimes. This was reported by Uckermarkurier

The automatic recording of the number of objects, which has been en Vogue since the introduction of the Kesy system in 2010, is not only used for crime prevention. Around 140 measures were designed for security, which shows that not only criminals but also uninvolved citizens can get into focus. This raises questions because the license plate recording is controversial. Critics complain that many uninvolved police can also target the police. Since a change in the Code of Criminal Procedure in 2021, license plates may only be saved if there are specific searches. These new guidelines are supposed to loosen the surveillance of the citizens.

increasing number of searches

A closer look at the numbers shows that the Brandenburg police used the automatic license plate recording significantly more frequently in 2023. Compared to 2022, the search for danger from 116 to 172 cases was increased, which is an increase of around 50 %. In these cases, the police have to prove that there are acute dangers to life and life. This was emphasized by rbb24

In addition, the police also used mobile phone devices in 19 cases in 19 cases for location determination, while it was still 15 cases in 2022. These developments show that the technology is increasingly incorporating into the investigative process. Nevertheless, the question remains how far monitoring is accepted by automated systems in society. For many citizens, it is important to know that their data is only treated in the framework provided.

rights of citizens and legal framework conditions

In a comprehensive report by MP Sven Hornauf from the BSW parliamentary group, major concerns about the legal framework were raised. In particular, the data protection guidelines and compliance with the judgments of the regional court in Frankfurt (Oder) represent the police. The provisions that have been in force since then determine that every storage must be justified. According to hornauf.org , this affects various points, such as the total number of recorded license plates, the obligation to provide information towards the data subjects and the duration of storage.

The topic is undoubtedly relevant, since there is still no final regulation by the state government on the subject of automatic license plate recording. Citizens are concerned whether and how their data are used while the police are trying to navigate in a complex legal environment and to ensure public security.

The debate about the license plate recording will certainly remain a hot topic in the future that affects not only police work, but also the fundamental rights of the citizens in Brandenburg. It remains to be seen how the state government will react to the questions raised and whether a legal regulation is in prospect.