Body cameras

WQ.432/2023

WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR JUSTICE AND HOME AFFAIRS

BY DEPUTY C.S. ALVES OF ST. HELIER CENTRAL

QUESTION SUBMITTED ON MONDAY 30th OCTOBER 2023

ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON MONDAY 6th NOVEMBER 2023

Question

“In relation to the States of Jersey Police use of body worn cameras will the Minister explain –

1. when cameras are required to be worn and operational;
2. how footage is stored and how long for;
3. under what circumstances might a camera be switched off;
4. how the use of cameras is monitored; and
5. the number of complaints received from the public, in the last 2 years, relating to cameras being turned off or not recording?”

Answer

1. when cameras are required to be worn and operational;

All uniformed police officers must ensure that they take possession of a BWV camera at the start of their tour of duty. Officers who work in plain clothes must consider best how to carry and utilise body-worn cameras, dependent on their role, and acknowledging that there may be certain locations or operational situations where there is a need to balance force policy, with the need to protect officer safety and/or operational security.

Body-worn cameras should be operational when required for a policing purpose, or any other situation the user deems worthy. A policing purpose is defined by the College of Policing as including (but not limited to) the prevention and detection of crime, the apprehension and prosecution of offenders, the protecting of life and property and to preserve order. This covers a variety of policing scenarios and will lead to greater transparency in policing’s actions. Users are also requested to activate their cameras prior to arriving at an incident. This allows for the camera to capture the gathering of any information and provides context around decisions made.

2. how footage is stored and how long for;

Footage is initially stored on a specific piece of software known as Digital Evidence Management Software (DEMS) installed in a secure police computer system. If footage is not marked as evidential it will be deleted after a pre-defined period, currently defined as 30 days. Footage marked evidential will be retained for a longer period. The duration of the retention of any footage is governed by national guidance and relevant local legislation. This can vary dependent on the type of crime/incident however the decision to retain should be based on a policing purpose.

3. under what circumstances might a camera be switched off;

Officers must utilise the National Decision-Making Model (NDM) when using body-worn video and record any justification and decision to start/stop recording on camera. All recordings must be related to a specific incident or encounter and must not be a continuous recording of shifts, or general patrol. There are certain situations and scenarios where body-worn video may not be appropriate and will therefore be switched off. This may include when speaking with a victim for a serious sexual offence or once a scene is under control prior to the commencement of a search. However, unless a force policy states otherwise, the expectation will be that there will be a tendency to record, rather than not to record, and a justification will be required to cease recording.

4. how the use of cameras is monitored; and

The review/monitoring of BWV footage can help improve the professionalism of policing and provide a powerful tool for behavioural change and continuous improvement. Supervisors are encouraged to conduct regular reviews of their officers BWV, as this is an effective way of ensuring their officers are using BWV to record their policing encounters, and to maintain compliance with force policy and professional standards. Any non-compliance with force policy in relation to not using BWV correctly or mismanaging the information will be investigated thoroughly.

5. the number of complaints received from the public, in the last 2 years, relating to cameras being turned off or not recording?”

At the moment we are not aware of any complaints which relate to body worn camera use. It is however possible that body worn cameras form an element of the wider complaint. The only way of determining this is to review every complaint to confirm any association to body worn cameras or not.

Complaints into Police are constrained by the discipline codes contrary to the Police (Complaints and Discipline Procedure) (Jersey) Order 2000 and therefore data in respect of this question is not readily available. BWV footage is however routinely viewed by the Professional Standards Departments in relation to complaints against the organisation and individual staff members. BWV footage may help in the quicker resolution of complaints as the true facts of an incident can be quickly established.