June 2, 2017
Police in Hammersmith and Fulham are now wearing Body Worn Video or BWV, following the borough's official launch on Tuesday, 30 May.
On Wednesday, 31 May, Volunteer Police Cadets assisted with the ongoing roll-out of cameras and were on hand to personally issue BWV accessory packs to around 400 frontline officers and Police Community Support Officers. Additional cameras will also be available for specialist departments.
The cadets have been an ongoing support to the BWV Project Team who are responsible for the roll-out of 22,000 BWV kits.
For the past six months the cadets have been assisting the project team by loading BWV accessory packs with useful tools for each officer. Inside the packs, officers can find literature for handing out to the public, a BWV aide memoire, a spare Klickfast docking device, which enables officers to attach the BWV to their clothing, and headsets to listen to stored footage.
The cameras have already shown they can help bring speedier justice for victims. They have proved particularly successful in domestic abuse cases where there has been an increase in earlier guilty pleas from offenders who know their actions have been recorded.
BWV will offer greater transparency for those in front of the camera as well as those behind it. Londoners can feel reassured during their interactions with the police, whilst BWV will also help officers gather evidence and demonstrate their professionalism in the face of the many challenges involved in policing the Capital.
All footage recorded on BWV is subject to legal safeguards and guidance. The footage from the camera is automatically uploaded to secure servers once the device has been docked and flagged for use as evidence at court or other proceedings. Video not retained as evidence or for a policing purpose is automatically deleted within 31 days.
If the public wish to view footage taken of them they can request, in writing, to obtain it under freedom of information and data protection laws. The request must be within 31 days of the incident unless it has been marked as police evidence and therefore retained.
The cameras are worn attached to the officer's uniform and do not permanently record. This ensures interactions with the public are not unnecessarily impeded. Members of the public are told as soon as practical that they are being recorded. When the camera is recording, it is highly visible with a flashing red circle in the centre of the camera and a frequent beeping noise when it's activated.
Hammersmith and Fulham Borough Commander, Chief Superintendent Gideon Springer, said: "Body Worn Video is an exciting new tool for the borough, it will make a genuine difference to the work carried out by the front line officers in Hammersmith and Fulham. It will capture images at a scene that can then be presented to court, assisting courts in making informed decisions on convictions and sentencing.
"The use of BWV in other parts of the Metropolitan Police Service has been shown to reduce confrontation and complaints against police officers.
"It is vital that the communities of Hammersmith and Fulham have confidence in my officers’ ability to support victims of crime. I know that the use of this technology will enhance this by directly recording criminal behaviour and the consequences that it has.
"The data that is downloaded by the camera will be dealt with in a secure, systematic and professional manner. The accompanying software is of an excellent quality and importantly is linked to our existing procedures for the management of evidence with an accountable chain."