Bundeskriminalamt (German Federal Criminal Police Office)

The Federal Government's answer of 30 January 2026 to an AfD minor interpellation (Drucksache 21/3696 asked, 21/3960 answered) states that the BKA and the Bundespolizei use software for retrograde search of large existing video and image files by parameters such as vehicles, colours, objects, text and logos, used only for prosecuting serious crimes and including a biometric facial recognition function. The government says it saves about two thirds of analysis time compared with manual review, takes no automated decisions and presents candidate matches to a human examiner. The product name, vendor and start date are not given. The answer says the BKA and Bundespolizei use no systems prohibited under the EU AI Act, that the government cannot yet say whether any system is high-risk, and that the Federal Data Protection Commissioner was consulted on many applications between 2020 and 2025 and that no formal complaints concerning AI applications were issued for the Interior Ministry's area in that period. This software is distinct from the BKA facial recognition system (GES), which has its own records.