A study published last month concludes that consistent and widespread use of Police bodycams reduces the number of complaints made against Officers and improves the general behaviour of both Officers and the general public.

Academics from Cambridge University studied almost 1.5 million beat hours across shifts by Officers in the UK and California and found that across the seven areas which the study investigated, the use of bodycams resulted in a 93% decrease in the number of complaints made against officers.

However, this reduction was only secured when bodycams were recording throughout Officer Interaction with the public and Officers gave warnings that their cameras were recording. In fact, early findings from this study indicated that violence increased if a camera was switched on during an altercation, which perhaps was interpreted as a provocation or escalation of the situation.

The findings of this study are stark; when body-worn cameras are used consistently by public-facing Officers, there are drastically fewer complaints made by members of the public and the behaviour of Officers and the public alike is much improved. It, therefore, is surely common sense for all forces to adopt a policy that all public-facing officers are allocated body-worn cameras which should be switched on for the duration of their shifts.

By doing this, both Officers and members of the public are protected from disorder and violence. This would also ensure that Police capture valuable evidence which assists both sides of the interaction and means they can assert their legal rights against an assailant or wrongdoer should somebody then choose to commit an unlawful act.

We welcome the results of this Study and would encourage Police forces across the UK to adopt policies ensuring that all Officers are provided with body-worn cameras and are required to have these switched on at all times.

If you have reason to believe you have been mistreated by the police, whether they were wearing a camera or not, you can contact our expert Actions Against Police solicitors.