Predictive Policing: Safeguards for The Choice of Data and Automated Processing in the Preventive Context

For years, artificial intelligence (AI) has promised to transform law enforcement. With the rise of big data and machine learning, predictive technologies offer unprecedented insights into patterns of criminal activity, enabling police departments not only to optimise limited resources but also to prevent offences before they occur. Against this backdrop, this article examines the data protection safeguards applicable to the information that fuels predictive policing systems. It begins by outlining the main types of predictive policing tools, with particular attention to examples from Europe and Italy. It then critically assesses how core data protection principles—such as purpose limitation and the right not to be subject to fully automated decisions—apply in the context of crime prevention. Finally, it proposes organisational and normative measures to strengthen individual safeguards in the face of expanding surveillance technologies.