Caught On Camera - Ealing Police Get Body Worn Videos
600 front line officers will have the ability to record dealings with the public
Police in Ealing have started wearing video cameras to record footage which could be used as evidence.
The Body Worn Video (BWV) is being issued to around 600 of the borough's front line officers.
Police say the cameras can help bring about speedier justice for victims and have proved particularly successful in domestic abuse cases where there has been an increase in earlier guilty pleas from offenders who know their actions have been recorded.
The cameras will be worn attached to the officer's uniform and will not be permanently recording. This ensures that our interactions with the public are not unnecessarily impeded. Members of the public will be told as soon as practical that they are being recorded and when the camera is recording, it is highly visibly - notable by a flashing red circle in the centre of the camera and a frequent beeping noise when the camera is activated.
All footage recorded on BWV is subject to legal safeguards and guidance. The footage from the Axon Body Camera is automatically uploaded to secure servers once the device has been docked, and flagged for use as evidence at court or other proceedings. Video not retained as evidence or for a policing purpose is automatically deleted within 31 days.
If the public wish to view footage taken of them they can request, in writing, to obtain it under freedom of information, data protection laws. It must be within 31 days, unless it has been marked as policing evidence and therefore retained.
Chief Inspector Ricky Kandohla, from Ealing Police Station, said: "Body Worn Video will support our officers in the many challenging situations they have to deal with, at the same time as building the public’s confidence.
"Our experience of using cameras already shows that people are more likely to plead guilty when they know we have captured the incident on a camera. That then speeds up justice, puts offenders behind bars more quickly and most importantly protects potential victims.
"Video captures events in a way that cannot be represented on paper in the same detail, a picture paints a thousand words, and it has been shown the mere presence of this type of video can often defuse potentially violent situations without the need for force to be used."
Over the coming months cameras will be issued to all 32 boroughs and a number of front-line specialist roles, including overt firearms officers. The deployment of all 22,000 cameras will be managed in a phased approached and is anticipated to be complete by next summer.
In November 2015 Mayors Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC),awarded a three year contract worth 3.4 million pounds to Axon Public Safety UK Limited, to supply the MPS with 22,000 cameras.
5th December 2016