Fundamental rights control when implementing predictive policing–a European perspective

Abstract

The paper approaches preventive justice and big data from a predictive policing point of view. Predictive policing is a controversial technology because of the many risks it imposes on fundamental rights. Through use cases from the EU, the paper focuses on how the implementation of predictive policing technologies has been limited in the EU but also how difficult the limitations might be due to the high hopes set upon technology. Although predictive policing technologies are not yet used in Finland by the police, the paper discusses how the use of police powers is limited in Finland and how fundamental rights control in the democratic process will work if the police were willing to adopt such technology.