Why use Body Worn Video in armed policing?

BWV provides several major benefits for armed police officers given the specialist and potentially life-critical nature of their work. BWV increases the transparency of policing and any footage recorded can be subsequently reviewed, scrutinised and submitted as evidence, making officers, as well as offenders, more accountable.

A major advantage of BWV is the provision of increased evidential quality. Traditionally, a police officer will make a written record of an incident, including language and gestures that were used, as soon as possible after the incident occurs. Using BWV, the incident is recorded in real time and as precisely as possible, limited only by the field of view and audio range of the device.

The evidence is therefore far more accurate and detailed than was previously possible - doubts as to what was done or said by any person present can be minimised. There are many potential benefits of BWV devices, as highlighted in the data box on the following page.

BWV footage has similarly been used to resolve complaints made against police officers by members of the public. This reduces investigative time and provides an accurate record of the situation. There is also evidence to suggest that the conduct and behaviour of both the public and officers is improved when BWV is in use.