WIREDGOV

The University of Cambridge’s Institute of Criminology provides new evidence to support body-worn video (BWV) cameras for evidence-gathering and de-escalation.

The first scientific research into the effects of deploying body-worn video (BWV) cameras has attempted to determine their effectiveness in reducing the prevalence of police use-of-force and/or citizens’ complaints against the police”. The randomised controlled study found that the likelihood of force being deployed in control conditions was roughly twice those in experimental conditions. Furthermore, even as the only half of the officers wore BWV devices, the rate of complaints against the officers taking part fell from 0.7 per 1000 to 0.007 per 1000 (from 24 to 3 complaints, according to the New York Times).

Almost as important as the statistics are the possible explanations for the catalysed changes in each party’s behaviour. Conducted in Rialto, California the research appears to support the hypothesis that the use of BWV creates a greater sense of “self-awareness” in both the officers and the members of the public with whom they interact. Essentially, both individuals exhibit some form of behavioural change when a recording camera is present.

This idea is supported by West Midlands Police in their ‘Privacy Impact Assessment of Body Worn Video’, which looked at the use of personnel cameras worn by officers attending domestic violence cases. 72% of imposed sanctions were formal charges, compared to 81% when BWV evidence was used. Participating officers explained that this was because cameras were able to capture indicative behaviour (such as vocal tone and body language) far more completely than a written report.

Several other police forces from around the UK have also deployed varying levels of BWV to conduct their own trials. One of the foremost, by the Metropolitan Police Service, focused on the effect of BWV on stop-and-search incidents (traditionally a highly controversial method in London) and reported that 92% of the public questioned agreed that police accountability was increased and improved by the cameras.

For Operation Hyperion in 2014, Hampshire Constabulary issued BWV to every officer on the Isle of Wight. During the year-long trial, public order and assault crimes fell by 18%. The operation also found that BWV technology had the potential to protect officers (complaints against officers decreased by a third) and expedited the court proceedings (possibly by BWV-sourced footage being perceived as a more acceptable form of evidence). This was predicted by Lord Justice Leveson, who praised BWV technology as “reliable and effective” in his ‘Review of Efficiency in Criminal Proceedings’.

After similarly successful trails, including consultations with community groups, Greater Manchester Police, will deploy 3,000 BWV cameras for officers in neighbourhood, roads, canine, tactical, and hostage units. Several of the trial’s main conclusions focused on the training and professional development uses of the footage. The independent ethics committee also highlighted concerns around data protection for surrounding minors and bystanders, and the potential for evidential concerns if officers chose to begin or end recordings at their own discretion.

A further article in Police Professional magazine noted that Taser International is already testing its ‘next generation’ cameras, which allow recording to be automatically triggered by certain actions, such as car blue-light/siren activation, airbag deployment or the drawing of a firearm. Once activated, the recording continues until manually stopped. The further development of live-streaming into an operations room adds further layers tactical and strategic of capability.

techUK welcomes the results of the study, particularly as it quantifies what police forces are reporting from their own trials, and looks forward to following this valuable technology as it becomes more widely employed.

(The research referenced above is publicly available online, including the University of Cambridge Institute of Criminology study and the Greater Manchester Independent Police Ethics Committee report.)