How 5G will make it difficult for police to track criminals

Catherine De Bolle head of European police agency raises concerns about how authorities will “struggle” to track crime with 5G mobile networks.

Bolle is appealing for support from EU leaders in their fight against tech-savvy criminals. She says states in the union are lacking in domestic regulations or the technology to trace criminals using 5G. “It is one of the most important investigative tools that police officers and services have, so we need this in the future,” she said speaking to news outlet Reuters.

At present, police are able to trace down criminals using mobile devices on the 4G network. But Bolle points out that their current technology cannot be used in the 5G network.” creating a gap that will be difficult to fill in once 4G becomes obsolete.

Bolle claims that it was too late when law enforcement agencies in Europe were brought into the discussion of transitioning to 5G among lawmakers and tech companies. This is forcing officials to find new ways to limit the damage when they won’t be able to use surveillance technology designed for 4G devices.

“The biggest risk is that we are not enough aware of the developments on a technological level and we have to be ahead on this. We have to understand what is going on and we have to try to provide answers to it,” Bolle said.

“So we need to be at the table where they discuss about the technological development, where they discuss standardisation.”

The concern raises the question of whether or not the rest of the world is prepared for the underlying problems that may arise from the 5G transition.

Christian Woods
Christian Woods
Christian is a morning reporter and technology columnist for Best in Australia. Christian has worked in the media since 2000, in a range of locations. He joined Best in Australia in 2018, and began working in Melbourne in 2019.
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