Trade Fair | Police Congress: "Hardly any critical voices are heard"

Dear Mr. Krüger, what kind of event is the Police Congress?

It is organized by Behördenspiegel, a commercial publishing group for the public sector. Police, ministers, and business representatives come together. The event has a strong trade fair and sales character.

What technology is on display?

It's clear that military technology is being adapted for police use. Drones can fly so high they're virtually invisible. At the same time, they can be coupled with technology that marks people with lasers. Artificial intelligence was also at play: US manufacturer Axon has developed its body cameras to the point where recordings can be translated into language in real time. Additional cameras from other areas can be linked to police situation centers. People with specific characteristics can be searched for automatically in real time. A lot is possible these days. However, this means the mountain of data for the police is getting ever larger. This is also an area where AI plays a role.

But the whole thing is called “Congress.”

Forums, discussions, and panels are also offered on topics relevant to the police. On the one hand, this is useful because it brings people from different professions together. However, the level of expertise is not always particularly high. For example, I attended a panel on democracy and diversity in the police. There's a lot to say about that. But hardly anything critical came up.

Do critics also come there?

You can now also meet people from the field of critical scholarship here—a minority, but they are there. Amnesty International has also been here since 2016. At the same time, however, it's the case that hardly any critical voices are heard at the police conference.

Suppose Amnesty could speak at the congress. About what?

About racism and police violence. It would cover investigative facilities, mandatory identification, and certainly also a topic that often flies under the radar: human rights protection within the police force, as well as how to deal with racism or sexism against police officers internally.

And denouncing grievances?

That's also an issue. The police can be a shark tank. If police officers report things, the consequences can be serious; they're then labeled a "comrade pig."

What is Amnesty’s position on the increased use of tasers and body cameras?

Tasers should be reserved for special units. For police on patrol, the risks outweigh the benefits – especially with regard to the threshold for use, which is continually decreasing, and the risk of death for certain vulnerable groups. We are not opposed to body cameras. However, it is important that citizens also have the opportunity to request that they be activated. Data security is important, and that recordings are stored long enough so that citizens can access them later if they notice misconduct. The judiciary also benefits from the capabilities of body cameras to clarify cases, even if they can only capture a partial picture of reality.