Page 10 - Top Cover Issue 6

10 TOP COVER ISSUE 6

Reveal comments on changing

motivations for body worn video

The use of body worn cameras in the UK and around the world is increasing rapidly and in the wake of recent and ongoing
events, has been thrown into the public eye with great support from national authorities and leaders. The backdrop for a
significant part of the public discussion, however, has been the sensitive topic of public relations with the police.

From the emergence of body worn video technology in the mid 2000’s, the experience of most UK constabularies has
focused on the benefits of successful prosecutions, and reduction in crime and assaults on officers. In the past few months
the attention has turned from the benefits that body worn cameras provide for the criminal justice system, and in turn to
society as a whole, to an accountable tool which will “police the police”. Michael Doherty, a spokesperson for Justice for Leon,
believes that body worn cameras should be recording at all times: “Leon’s law is about a very simple proposition” He said
to the BBC recently, “that all police officers in all interactions with the public will wear body worn cameras and they will be
recording during those interactions. Technology really is going to hold police to account.”

Boris Johnson however has emphasized the benefits of body worn video for the judicial system, having been on patrol with
Sutton Police using Reveal Media’s RS3-SX body worn camera: “I think it’s massively beneficial for the criminal justice system”
Boris said, “to have real time evidence about what has actually happened”

Alasdair Field, CEO of Reveal Media, has commented on the recent change in motivation for body worn cameras: “while it is
clear that some members of the public may have lost confidence in the police, it is a great shame that the tremendous hard work
made by many constabularies in driving their Body Worn Video programmes has been overshadowed by this.”

“UK Police have used Body Worn Video for many years now and UK suppliers are leading the rest of the world. Until recently, the use
of body cameras by police has been fairly low-key in the news, and not really discussed at all at a senior political level. That has now
changed. Some people are arguing that cameras should be recording at all times – without much thought as to the implications.
In essence, this would turn Body Worn Video into a way to “police the police”. I find this very uncomfortable.”

“Police officers are already accountable for their actions every day. For the public or politicians to send the message that we have so
little trust in our police officers that they should record their every action, is an extremely sad reflection on our society as a whole. Of
course, Reveal Media would stand to gain commercially if the cameras had to record at all times. But I personally think this would
be inappropriate, impractical and deeply unsatisfactory.”

Alasdair continued, “I also believe constant recording would be a violation of the European Convention on Human Rights. Article
8 states that we all have a right to privacy and that there should be no interference by a public authority with this right, except in
the interests of the public. There is no public interest in continuous recording in my opinion.”

“Embracing the technology of Body Worn Video and adapting to the benefits it
offers is the way forward. We should not be using it as a tool to keep a
suspicious eye on the police.”

Meanwhile, front line police officers continue to affirm the use of Reveal
Media’s RS3-SX, one officer told the BBC “They say that a picture paints a
thousand words, when we’re dealing with an incident yes obviously police
can go back to the station to write notes but actually it really does capture
some of the high intensity of some of the incidents we have to deal with”