Body cameras are now being used by police

» POLICE officers in the county are telling people to ‘smile, you’re on camera’.

Body worn video has been issued to the Serious and Organised Crime Operations Team.

They say cameras are now being used for the public’s and for officers’ protection.

Announcing the rollout in a tweet, they said: “The team all now issued with and embracing @Reveal_media body warn video.”

The cameras had begun to be issued to officers back in 2018.

Guidance from Gloucestershire police stresses that body worn video (BWV) is an ‘overt system’ and officers should make it clear to people that they are being recorded.

It also states that the use of BWV is recommended for investigation of domestic abuse, stop and search, any use of force or anticipated use of force and any deployment of a Taser. Reveal says that recordings from BWV provide a “fairly complete record” of what officers see and hear - but there are limits as other sounds may block significant statements by those present - there could also be technical failures or user errors.

It stresses: “Thus users need to ensure that they remain mindful of standard evidence gathering procedures at scenes and must not rely solely on the BWV evidence to support their case.” Gloucestershire police’s SOC Operations Team describes itself as: “Proactively identifying, targeting, disrupting and dismantling serious and organised crime across the county.