Police step up real-time street camera surveillance in Tampere, plan expansion to dozens of municipalities

Police expand real-time camera monitoring across Tampere streets. YLE reports the city approved a technical surveillance agreement in March that allows police to operate newly installed municipal cameras and monitor events in real time.

The cameras are owned by the city but monitored by police, and Tampere has already more than 200 traffic and surveillance cameras in use. The city budgeted €115,000 for the new urban camera system this year, and system manager Mika Heikkilä says a few cameras will be added annually as needed — for example during new tramway construction and in central parking areas. Police say the footage helps maintain public order, prevent crime, identify suspects and serve as evidence in prosecutions.

The Police Board is pushing a nationwide rollout, and police inspector Konsta Arvelin expects “several dozen” municipalities to sign up this year. Some agreements between police and municipalities remain confidential, so precise camera locations are not public. Commissioner Marko Luosa says the direct link from the police situation centre to cameras improves how officers are dispatched and lets control-room staff monitor protests or incidents when patrols cannot arrive immediately. Arvelin also stresses that monitoring is signposted with camera symbols and must follow legal limits despite public concerns about surveillance.