Switzerland, City of Zürich
Stadtpolizei Zürich
Precobs place-based burglary prediction, supplied by Institut für musterbasierte Prognosetechnik (Precobs developer); LogObject AG listed by AlgorithmWatch CH
OperationalJournalismPAI-F2155417
- Body
- Stadtpolizei Zürich
- Country
- Switzerland
- Area
- City of Zürich
- Technology
- Precobs place-based burglary prediction
- Supplier
- Institut für musterbasierte Prognosetechnik (Precobs developer); LogObject AG listed by AlgorithmWatch CH
- Status
- Operational
In routine use by the named body, on the evidence of a public source. - Stage
- In use now
- Since
- November 2013
- Legal basis
- Not stated in the source
- Oversight
- SRF reports that the Zürich data protection officer raised no objection; only anonymised data is used.
- Evidence
- Journalism
Named reporting by a reputable outlet - Source
- SRF, 30 October 2017
- Last checked
- Record code
PAI-F2155417
Notes
SRF (30 October 2017) reported that the Stadtpolizei Zürich bought Precobs in 2013 and, after a successful pilot phase, adopted it permanently in 2015, since when it has been part of daily police work: it identifies areas with an elevated risk of burglary in the next 72 hours, to which patrols are sent. A police analyst told SRF there is no causal link between Precobs and the fall in burglaries, and that the Zürich data protection officer raised no objection because only anonymised data is used and the software is not linked to other databases. Blick (18 October 2024) reports that Precobs has been in use at the Stadtpolizei Zürich since November 2013 and quotes a force spokesperson describing how patrols are then sent to the flagged area; it also reports that the Kantonspolizei Aargau uses Precobs. AlgorithmWatch CH's Atlas of Automation (June 2023) lists Zürich, Aargau and Basel-Landschaft as the cantons that used Precobs and names LogObject AG as developer; SRF names the Institut für musterbasierte Prognosetechnik in Oberhausen as the original developer. The use of Precobs by the Kantonspolizei Zürich is not established by these sources.
Precobs place-based burglary prediction elsewhere in Switzerland
See them in the tracker| Deployment | Country | Supplier | Since | Status | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kantonspolizei AargauPrecobs place-based burglary prediction | SwitzerlandCanton of Aargau | LogObject AG | — | Operational | |
| Kantonspolizei Basel-LandschaftPrecobs place-based burglary prediction | SwitzerlandCanton of Basel-Landschaft | LogObject AG | — | Discontinued |