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West Midlands Police Federation

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Forces urged to share body-worn video

16 September 2020

Forces should release police officers’ body-worn video (BWV) footage to help protect them from unfair criticism and trial by media, says the deputy secretary of West Midlands Police Federation.

Tim Rogers was commenting after John Apter, the national chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales, said forces should urgently consider publicising the footage to redress the balance in response to the growing trend of officers being vilified after selective clips of their interactions with the public are shared on social media and then by media outlets.

“All too often the filming that finds its way out via social media shows only a very small part of officers’ dealings with a member of the public or a group of individuals and, taken out of context, can be very damaging, serving to undermine people’s confidence and trust in the police service,” says Tim.

“I believe it’s time for police chiefs to give serious consideration to their own forces’ policies and to try to release BWV, where possible, to protect officers but also help ensure faith in policing is not eroded.”

The national Federation chair has requested a meeting with Martin Hewitt, chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, and Mike Cunningham, chief executive officer at the College of Policing, to discuss his concerns about the clips that are now regularly appearing on social media and in the media.

Research led by the University of Cambridge’s Institution of Criminology shows BWV is associated with a 93 per cent reduction in complaints against police officers. The cameras are also a useful deterrent for those who may be considering assaulting an officer, as their actions will be caught on camera.

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