Our 'Cops' is on

[vetran]

At last

BBC News - Metropolitan Police officers start wearing body cameras

Met Police officers are to start wearing cameras on their uniforms as part of plans to boost transparency and accelerate convictions.

The cameras are designed to capture evidence at crime scenes.

A trial of the cameras will see 500 distributed to officers across 10 London boroughs. Firearm officers will also use them in their training.

The pilot scheme comes as the force was criticised following the death of Mark Duggan at the hands of armed officers.

a very sensible decision, maybe this will improve behaviour on both sides of the law.

Assuming of course its totally automated and can't be fiddled. But from the text it sounds like the officers control the retention.

[Mich the Tester]

Assuming of course its totally automated and can't be fiddled. But from the text it sounds like the officers control the retention.

[MicrosoftBob]

If they can turn it on and off at will I fail to see how it will stop any abuse of their powers

[vetran]

If they can turn it on and off at will I fail to see how it will stop any abuse of their powers

They will have to explain why they turned it off. From the text it suggested that it wouldn't be turned off for offenders. So if they do a stop and search for walking on the cracks in the pavement they will have to explain why it wasn't recorded.

Personally I would get it to record everything encrypted and viewing once automatically downloaded (can review while on the harness and would be logged) would be restricted and logged.

[Mich the Tester]

They will have to explain why they turned it off. From the text it suggested that it wouldn't be turned off for offenders. So if they do a stop and search for walking on the cracks in the pavement they will have to explain why it wasn't recorded.

Personally I would get it to record everything encrypted and viewing once automatically downloaded (can review while on the harness and would be logged) would be restricted and logged.

Explain to whom?

Will this be like explaining why they kicked hell out of that newsagent who then died? Or explaining why they shot that Brazilian guy through the head seven times? Or explaining why they accused an MP of insulting them, almost ending his career?

[darmstadt]

Expect a plethora of dodgy videos on Youtube then...

[vetran]

Explain to whom?

Will this be like explaining why they kicked hell out of that newsagent who then died? Or explaining why they shot that Brazilian guy through the head seven times? Or explaining why they accused an MP of insulting them, almost ending his career?

to their senior officers, the press and then judges.

If something like this happens and the camera is off the relevant policeman will be in serious trouble. With a little bit of luck it will be like that soldier executing the Taliban fighter and someone will leave their camera /mike on because they don't agree with the situation.

as I said I would prefer it recorded constantly maybe with a privacy button so it can only be reviewed at the station with suitable authority.

whatever happens its got to be an improvement on Plod's word against the public's.

I would have insisted on firearms officers being filmed whenever deployed. So many cases of 'Dirty Harry' disease.

[vetran]

Expect a plethora of dodgy videos on Youtube then...

already there :

Watch footage captured by police officers equipped with new cameras | Mail Online

better explanation of the technology there as well, that is what you get for reading a best selling newspaper not a lefty tax funded organisation!

[barrydidit]

They've got to be able to turn them off or the internet will be overrun with 'PC5682 struggles with a massive tulip' videos. Which, I would argue, wouldn't do much to improve the image of the feds.

[vetran]

They've got to be able to turn them off or the internet will be overrun with 'PC5682 struggles with a massive tulip' videos. Which, I would argue, wouldn't do much to improve the image of the feds.

hence the encryption & access logs (no pun intended)