BODY CAMERAS BEHIND HUGE DROP IN POLICE COMPLAINTS

BODY cameras adopted by Welsh police forces are being credited with a huge drop in complaints made against front-line officers. Research has credited the wearable technology – as used by Gwent and North Wales Police – for a 93% drop in complaints by members of the public over 12 months, compared with the year before.

The Cambridge University study monitored almost 2,000 officers across UK forces and US police departments.

It found that 113 complaints were made against officers, compared with 1,539 in the 12 months before.

Dr Barak Ariel, who led the research, said: “I cannot think of any [other] single intervention in the history of policing that dramatically changed the way that officers behave, the way that suspects behave, and the way they interact with each other.

“Once [the public] are aware they are being recorded, once they know that everything they do is caught on tape, they will undoubtedly change their behaviour because they don’t want to get into trouble.

“Individual officers become more accountable, and modify their be- haviour accordingly, while the more disingenuous complaints from the public fall by the wayside once footage is likely to reveal them as frivolous.”

Gwent Police has seen a 10% reduction in overall complaints during April to September 2016 alone, compared to the same period in 2015.

Meanwhile, North Wales Police recently announced plans to hand body-worn video equipment to all on-duty officers. Later this year additional devices will also be bought for specialists like members of the firearms team.

The force said cameras are particularly useful after domestic violence, where evidence of injuries and damage can be gathered, along with the behaviour and demeanour of aggressor and victim.

Chief Superintendent Emma Ackland, head of neighbourhood policing for Gwent Police, said: “Body- worn cameras have become an integral part of policing.

“The evidence gathered has been vital in bringing offenders to justice and the swift resolution of public complaints.”

Police and Crime Commissioner for Gwent, Jeff Cuthbert, added: “Using these cameras can help save time and money for the criminal justice system by providing impactful and irrefutable evidence which prevents or strengthens cases.

Body-worn video was introduced in North Wales last year, with 120 kits deployed.

North Wales Police chief superintendent Sacha Hatchett stressed the devices have led to early guilty pleas and tougher sentences.

She said juries then could “see the phone ripped from the wall. They could see the damage, the pictures.

“They can see the victim’s injuries. They can see the persona of the offender in states of drunkenness.”