Monaco to expand CCTV network with facial recognition technology
By Zak Jackson, MonacoViews Editorial
Minister of State Christophe Mirmand has signalled plans to upgrade Monaco's surveillance system following a recent assassination attempt and a street robbery.
Christophe Mirmand, Monaco's Minister of State, has indicated that the Principality's existing CCTV network could be significantly enhanced using technology capable of identifying what he described as "undesirable and inopportune" individuals present on the territory. The comments follow two incidents that have raised public safety concerns: an assassination attempt and a watch-snatching on a public thoroughfare.
Mirmand's position is that complementary technological tools should be layered onto the current surveillance infrastructure to make it more effective, rather than simply expanding the number of cameras. The direction of travel points clearly towards AI-assisted recognition systems, a development that will draw scrutiny from civil liberties advocates even as it reassures many of Monaco's roughly 38,000 residents who expect a high standard of personal security.
For property owners and long-term residents, the proposed upgrades represent a meaningful shift in how the Principality manages public order. Monaco already operates one of the densest CCTV networks per square kilometre in Europe, and any move to add automated identification capability would place it among a small group of jurisdictions to have deployed such systems at a national level. Further details on timeline and legislative process are expected in the coming months.