The Council of Europe Police Network hosted its annual conference on police data processing, data protection and human rights in Strasbourg from 19 to 21 March 2024.

The conference gathered 65 participants, among which 30 represented member states of the Network. In addition, observers to the Network from the Independent Police Complaints Authorities' Network (IPCAN), the European Council of Police Trade Unions (CESP) and several EU agencies dealing with data protection and police matters were present. The speakers coming from Interpol, the German Federal Ministry of Interior, the University College Dublin, the National Police Board of Finland and the Council of Europe delivered several presentations on data protection rules and supervisors, police databases currently used by international police organisations, and EU innovative systems like the European Police Records Index System (EPRIS) and underlined that technological tools used by police services must be designed to embrace both police efficiency with individual data protection and ensure that the right to privacy is protected and respected by the police.

The participants took the opportunity to exchange with high level representatives of the main data protection bodies like the Chair of the Committee of Convention 108 of Council of Europe, professionals dealing with the EPRIS, and with the international databases available at Interpol, and with police field practitioners like the investigators of the German Federal Criminal Police Office.

The programme also included a presentation of the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) and its development on police activities. The participants agreed that AI can be beneficial for police work but requires a strict regulation to ensure that its use aligns with the principles of human rights, democracy and rule of law.

During the Network’s restricted session, the Netherlands was elected to Chair the Council of Europe Police Network over the next year.