Case Studies

Body worn video

by Mark Rowe

Body-worn video was a popular request by police forces bidding for money from a £20m Home Office fund. Policing Minister Damian Green, pictured, said: “This government’s approach to policing has been radical and forward thinking. I am hugely encouraged that every single police force has shown the same attitude in taking this opportunity to develop new ideas and ways of working. We have some exciting projects in this year’s round, and I am looking forward to seeing the results. Plus, we have a further £50m worth of funding which will be made available for innovation projects in 2014/15. Crime has fallen by more than 10 per cent under this government. By encouraging forces to work together and embrace new technology, we can continue to improve policing and increase efficiency in years to come.”

Successful body worn video bids came from Durham £48,000; Gwent, £155,921; Hampshire, £399,000;
Leicstershire, £210,000; and the Metropolitan Police, £314,000. Other bids included Cumbria’s for county-wide CCTV (£539,000 for that scheme) and a Norfolk-Suffolk joint bid for expansion of ANPR, which won £138,000.

Forensics, live links in court and mobile IT were also schemes applied for by many forces. Thames Valley Police gained £65,000 for social media analytics.

The Home Office says that the Police Innovation Fund will be established from 2014/15 and will be worth up to £50m a year. Ahead of its full year of operation, the Home Office has made a precursor fund of £20m available to police and crime commissioners in 2013/14.

For the list of bids visit the Home Office website – https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/271733/List_of_forces_and_projects_which_will_benefit_from_funding.pdf

Hampshire Chief Constable Andy Marsh was recently appointed national policing lead in England and Wales for body-worn video for the College of Policing and the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO). He said: “This funding keeps Hampshire and the Isle of Wight at the cutting edge of body-worn video technology – not just in Britain – but anywhere in the world. As well as being very welcome news – this commitment by Government is recognition of the massive benefit body-worn video offers in terms of building trust with the public – and having an accurate and verifiable digital record of the evidence.

“It is my intention – both as Chief Constable for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight – and in my new national role – to work with those other forces who are leading the way to make body-worn video something that the public continues to support – and is available to every uniformed police officer.”

Body-worn video devices are visible cameras attached to the chest of an officer or PCSO. They can record video and audio evidence for a policing purpose.

Hampshire has more than 450 cameras being used across the county, including 180 that are personally issued to officers and PCSOs on the Isle of Wight as part of a specific one-year project until the summer of 2014.

Hampshire are working with researchers from University of Portsmouth’s Institute of Criminal Justice Studies, to evaluate the personal-issue project on the Isle of Wight.

‘Personal issue’ means one camera is assigned to one specific officer or PCSO.

Hampshire Constabulary is working with Reveal Media, an approved supplier of the cameras to the force since 2008.

Under the Data Protection Act 1998, police forces have a duty to inform a person that their actions are being recorded on Body Worn Video for evidence in support of criminal prosecutions.

This can be done by the officer stating clearly when a recording starts, or it can be as simple as the camera being obviously visible to a person being recorded.

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