Chief Constable Sir Peter Fahy warns against rush to introduce body cameras

Sir Peter Fahy, chief constable of Greater Manchester Police, has urged caution over police use of body-worn video (BWV) cameras.

BWV is now being used to some degree in the majority of police forces in the UK.

But speaking on BBC Radio Five Live, Sir Peter highlighted the dangers of ‘rushing in’ after comments that the Pleb-gate scandal could have been avoided had the officers involved been equipped with cameras.

“One of the dangers is that as a result of that particular incident, albeit a very serious incident, we could rush into the use of this technology and once we’ve got it, it would be very hard to go backwards.

“My main concern is what the public thinks about this; do they understand the implications?

“It would mean, for instance, that if we got called to a house [then] we are filming what’s going on. That might be a very distressing situation; it might be a very personal situation.”

Steve White, vice-chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales, said: “Body-worn cameras act as in incredibly useful tool for evidence and intelligence gathering and have been used to good effect by some forces.

“However, we share Sir Peter’s concern about the rollout of any equipment implemented in reaction to a particular event and not as part of a wider strategic consultation that considers all risks and benefits of use.

“Police officers are already highly accountable for their actions – GPS tracking, static and mobile CCTV and video equipment in police cars all play an important part in ensuring incidents are recorded professionally and transparently.

“Integrity is a core component needed for the public to have trust in the police – the introduction of rash measures only serves to undermine trust in the service and those charged with delivering it.”

Policing Minister Damian Green believes BWV is just one way of using technology to redesign frontline policing.

Speaking at last week’s College of Policing ‘Digital Pathfinders’

conference he explained: “The next phase of police reform – and probably the most radical yet – is about transforming how policing is delivered at the front line.

“I have stated publically that at the heart of this is how officers use technology and the importance of the role it will play.

“Digital technology has the power to transform policing completely and I have an ambition that all forces are digital by 2016.

“We need to learn from the experience in Hampshire, and elsewhere, and identify how BWV technology can make the best possible contribution to policing.”

The use of BWV is recognised as having significant benefits that can lead to officers capturing more evidence faster when out on the streets, assisting with public confidence when completing sensitive interactions, such as stop and search, and offering witnesses the opportunity to make statements to camera.

The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) is currently running a pilot to test the developments in BWV technology and establish its logistical functionality and evidential value.

A spokesman said: “There are currently 75 cameras being used across the MPS in eight boroughs across London.

“Officers involved in the pilot are allocated a camera at the start of a tour of duty. The cameras can be worn on the head or the chest. The cameras are not permanently filming. They are switched on when the officer attends an incident that can be captured as evidence.”