Ruislip & Eastcote & Northwood Gazette
Body-worn cameras to be extended in borough
Around 250 Hillingdon police officers to get recording equipment after successful trial
Monday (January 9) marked the official launch of the scheme in the borough, aimed to bring faster convictions and to guarantee the professional behaviour of officers.
Cameras will be attached to officers’ uniforms and have proved to be effected in domestic abuse cases, as offenders often admit crimes earlier when they know they have been recorded, the Met said.
It is hoped the cameras will be used to reassure the public that police are conducting themselves professionally, including during contentious actions like stop and search.
Chief Inspector Richard Wilson, from Hayes 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.
“Hillingdon was a trial site for the cameras and this was a huge success, building trust in policing, reducing complaints against police and increasing the number of convictions at court, in some cases saving the victims the need to provide evidence at court.
“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.” All recorded footage is automatically uploaded to secure servers once the device is docked and can be flagged for use as evidence.
Any video that is not used in court or for policing purposes is deleted automatically within 31 days. The public can view footage taken of them by making a written request using Freedom of Information, as long as it is within 31 days unless it has been kept by police.
Cameras will not be permanently recording and members of the public will be told ‘as soon as practical’ that the camera is on.
A flashing red circle in the centre of the camera will be an indication of recording, as well as a frequent beep. Body-worn cameras will be rolled out across all of London’s 32 boroughs in the coming months, with 22,000 being handed out to police, including firearms officers.