Report Summary
A public briefing on Body Worn Video, published in November 2024.
Oversight and assurance
Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority 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 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 a 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 has completed a full Equalities and Human Rights Impact Assessment (EqHRIA), and Data Protection Impact Assessment
(DPIA). Impact assessments are reviewed and updated annually to reflectchanges in legislation, policy and technology.
Furthermore, all Officers and operational staff 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.
Following each criminal investigation where evidence has been recorded on BWV, evidential footage will be shared with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) via a jointly owned platform called Digital Evidence Sharing Capability (DESC).
Footage that is recorded but does not contain evidentiary value is automatically deleted from Police systems after 31 days. Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority are committed to monitoring the realisation of benefits derived from BWV and will report through established governance structures, thereby ensuring transparency and accountability.
The public consultations conducted throughout Scotland returned over 18,000 responses from members of the public, reflecting substantial interest in this area of policing and a strong motivation to engage in the manner in which we interact with our communities.
