Berlin allocates €16 million to pilot AI‑driven camera system for crime prevention

The Berlin state government announced a €16 million pilot project to integrate artificial‑intelligence analysis with the city’s CCTV network in an effort to curb rising crime. The system will be installed at high‑risk sites including the Red City Hall (Rotes Rathaus), the Kottbusser Tor intersection and the Warschauer Bridge in Friedrichshain, with the AI tasked to detect movement patterns that signal incidents without using facial‑recognition or biometric identifiers.

Police union GdP backs the initiative as essential for safety, while critics warn it could increase public surveillance and generate false alarms, citing mixed results from similar pilots in Hamburg and Mannheim. Berlin’s interior senator Iris Spranger said a contractor will be selected in the autumn.