What safeguards are in place?

Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) acknowledges that whilst there is a strong evidential base indicating the benefits of BWV, there are recognised privacy, data and third-party concerns. The introduction of new and emerging technologies such as BWV must be balanced against the police values of integrity, fairness, respect and human rights.

Police Scotland are committed to policing by consent and will only use BWV for legitimate policing purpose, where it is considered necessary and appropriate to do so. BWV will not be used in covert surveillance and devices will never be intentionally hidden when in use.

To understand and mitigate against potential privacy and third-party concerns, Police Scotland had completed a full Equalities and Human Rights Impact Assessment (EqHRIA), and Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA). Impact assessments are reviewed and updated annually to reflect changes in legislation, policy and technology.

Furthermore, armed police officers will be provided with standardised training on the use of BWV and will be issued with a code of practice and associated standard operating procedures (SOPs) detailing how BWV should be used during their duties.

Following each deployment, evidential footage is burned to disc and lodged as a production. Footage not marked as required for evidential use is automatically deleted after a specified period, currently set at 31 days. Police Scotland and the SPA commit to monitoring benefits realisation from BWV and to reporting through existing governance structures, ensuring transparency and accountability.