Page 11 - Top Cover Issue 6

TOP COVER ISSUE 6 11

ACPO LEAD UPDATE ON CAMERAS

his month trials start in a number of forces with Secondly, and more importantly, is what happens
firearms officers wearing Body Worn Cameras in the when the officers’ account of an incident doesn’t
training environment. Such is the momentum of this match perfectly with the video footage? It is well
initiative that operational trials are planned for June. established that the human brain relies on internal
sources of information such as thoughts and
So why the sudden resurgence in interest and why feelings and external visual and auditory stimulus.
in a time of significant reductions in police funding Firearms operations can be highly stressful and
can the money be found to put cameras on cops? Is when facing an armed and dangerous individual
this about the efficiency and effectiveness of the the officer’s peripheral vision will involuntarily
criminal justice system or is it about trust in the police? shut down as they hone in on the threat. In simple
The reality is it’s about both. terms they will focus on the thing that could
hurt them, this is sometimes referred to as “weapon
Body Worn Cameras are not a new phenomenon in focus” or more commonly “tunnel vision”.
policing in the UK. Many forces have used them
extremely effectively to police the nighttime It is likely that the officer’s account could differ
economy and in sensitive areas such as domestic from the video footage, therefore, an understanding
abuse. The potential to reduce paperwork, not-guilty pleas and and acceptance of this ‘perceptual distortion’ is essential in
expense is significant. any subsequent investigative process. If you triangulate this
problem with the IPCC’s recently published consultation
Studies in other policing jurisdictions have shown that cameras document ‘Draft statutory guidance to the police service on
reduce complaints against police and use of force. The presence of achieving best evidence in death or serious injury matters’ the
a camera has been found to moderate the behaviour of the person problem becomes more acute. The IPCC propose that post
being filmed and of the wearer. incident all key police witnesses should be separated and
‘Detailed Individual Factual Accounts’ will be required before
There is no avoiding the fact that confidence in the police has the officer goes off-duty.
been rocked by a series of high profile events such as Plebgate,
Hillsborough and now new allegations concerning conduct A traumatic incident, a requirement to provide a detailed
towards the Lawrence family. Add to this the findings from the account before going off duty and perceptual distortion
Azelle Rodney public inquiry and the Inquest into the death of leading to potential anomalies with the video footage is a toxic
Mark Duggan where people who examine and pass judgment on combination and one that Staff Associations and their legal
what happened find it hard to understand why the police don’t advisors will be intently focused on.
film such events, and the pressure to adopt Body Worn Cameras
becomes clear. A recent poll by The Justice Gap found that 90% There is no doubt that Body Worn Cameras are coming and
of respondents agreed that police officers should be required to overall this has the potential to increase efficiency in the
wear cameras. criminal justice system and confidence in the police. The key is
convincing the people, who will judge officers in the cold light of
So what’s the problem? Overall the advantages seem to outweigh day, that the footage is one small part of a much broader picture
the disadvantages. Most front line officers I speak to say “bring it comprising the officer’s honestly held belief, the intelligence,
on”, they are already acutely aware that policing in the 21st century the briefing and wider situational awareness.
takes place under the constant gaze of the CCTV camera and the
Smartphone. Officers have nothing to hide and exposing the
kind of behaviour they are subjected to on a regular basis could
enhance public confidence in their professionalism, restraint and
patience.

However there are a number of disadvantages and I would like to DCC Simon Chesterman ACPO Armed Policing lead
concentrate on two. First, it was not so long ago that commentators
were outraged by the plethora of State surveillance in public places
and there were calls for a significant reduction in CCTV in public
spaces. How long will it be before people are complaining that
police filming encounters with citizens are infringing their privacy
and breaching their Article 8 rights?