In Sweden, politicians hope that a change in the law can be passed through the Riksdag, allowing the police to roll out speed cameras with surveillance.
Sweden is planning to significantly expand the functionality of its 2,500 speed cameras. With an upcoming change in law, speed cameras and tunnel cameras will not only record speeding violations, but also serve as an advanced surveillance tool for the police.
A key part of the upgrade is the implementation of facial recognition and real-time license plate identification technology.
This will allow police to track suspicious vehicles and people live as they pass the cameras.
Today, the police only have access to still images from the speed cameras, which are provided by the Swedish Transport Administration and are primarily used to issue speeding tickets.
The bill gives the police expanded access to the Danish Transport Agency's cameras, including video cameras for road surveillance and tunnel surveillance.
The cameras need to be upgraded and adapted to enable this expanded use. The aim is to provide the police with an effective tool to map and prosecute criminal activities.
The initiative to use traffic cameras in the fight against crime came from Minister of Justice Gunnar Strömmer.
After a research phase, the proposal has now been sent for assessment by the Legislative Council to ensure that it does not violate the Constitution.
If the proposal is approved by the Legislative Council and subsequently adopted in the Riksdag, Swedish police will be allowed to use existing cameras in traffic for surveillance purposes.
The government also plans to use artificial intelligence (AI) to identify wanted and suspected criminals. The EU has already made this possible by introducing an exemption in its AI regulation.
This expansion of the functionality of speed cameras marks a significant intensification of surveillance in Swedish society. And it is to be expected that the proposal will be met with debate about the balance between security and privacy.
Here at home, the surveillance of drivers is already in full swing. However, the police are not very keen on saying anything about where the cameras are. It has now been revealed anyway. Read more about it here .
