Body-worn video comes to Chislehurst, Petts Wood & Bickley

Police officers from four south London boroughs have begun piloting new ‘Body Worn Video’ cameras as part of an ongoing trial into using the technology by the Metropolitan Police Service.

The boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon and Lewisham are amongst 10 that have been chosen to pilot the new video technology in London, which is thought to be the largest trial in the world of the use of such technology by police.
 

The cameras have been arriving at the four boroughs over the past three weeks and are being rolled out to officers on two 999 response teams at each of the four boroughs over the coming days and weeks.

The pilot will see some response team officers wearing the cameras and recording footage that can then be used as evidence in police investigations.

Officers taking part have been given training and guidance about when cameras are to be used, which means they will routinely collect evidence in incidents such as domestic abuse and public order, but also for potentially contentious interactions such as the use of stop and search.

The cameras will not be permanently switched on to ensure the police's interactions with the public are not unnecessarily impeded but members of the public will be informed as soon as practical that they are being recorded.

The pilot, thought to be the largest in the world, will see a total of 500 cameras distributed to 10 London boroughs.

The findings of the year-long pilot will be evaluated by the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) and the College of Policing before any decision about a future roll-out is made. This will tell us if the positive findings of the earlier trials are replicated on a large scale and provide valuable lessons on the best ways to take the technology forward.

South London Area Commander, Simon Letchford said:
“There are some fantastic opportunities through technology to help us improve our policing service to Londoners and I see Body Worn Video at the forefront of this. Video can show an event in a light that would be almost impossible to get across just writing it down on paper.
We’re hoping the use of video will help us to increase confidence in police and allow us to secure better evidence and strengthen our fight against crime. We’re already seeing positive results where domestic abuse convictions have been secured thanks to video, when it might not have been possible without that evidence available.
Our experience in using cameras shows people are more likely to plead guilty if they know there is video evidence, which will also help to speed up the criminal justice system.”