Police forces urged to make use of new body-worn video policy

Last year, Apter raised his concerns with the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) over the public sharing selective video clips of police interactions on social media and the damaging impact it can have on public confidence and, indeed, criminal justice processes.

As a result, Apter worked with the (then) NPCC lead on body-worn video (namely chief constable Andy Marsh) and the NPCC duly issued a new policy document for forces last November, but further improvements need to be made in this area.

Apter’s continued calls follow a debating session in the House of Lords on Wednesday 7 July where Peers of the Realm discussed the need for police forces to be more proactive when it comes to releasing body-worn video footage.

Cause of frustration

Following the session in Parliament, Apter said: “It’s good to see this important issue has been raised in the House of Lords as we’ve been pushing for change in this area over the past year. What’s frustrating is that only a handful of police forces have adopted the new guidance issued by the NPCC. Many are not as proactive as they could be. It shouldn’t be taking so long to do something which would support our colleagues.”

He continued: “Not only are police officers being hung out to dry when these incredibly damaging, one-sided clips are posted on social media with absolutely no context, but these clips also risk jeopardising public confidence in the service and undermine the criminal justice process.”

Apter went on to comment: “Policy is better than it was, but I would strongly urge more forces to take full advantage of the new guidance and be more proactive in either releasing body-worn video clips or otherwise issuing a statement to add context to what’s in circulation. I completely accept that, in some cases, we are unable to release footage and the new guidance recognises this. It’s all about striking a balance.”

Comment in the House

Speaking in the House of Lords, Minister of State Baroness Williams of Trafford urged that “speed is of the essence” when it comes to police services publicising their interactions with the public. The Baroness noted: “Selective release of video can paint a very different picture from what actually happened. This point has been made again and again. It’s absolutely right that these things be released quickly and brought forward in a way that doesn’t undermine the criminal justice system that ensues.”

Lord Coaker also raised the issue of police being vilified on social media not long after a video surfaced on social media of police officers being criticised for stopping for lunch in their vehicle.

Addressing this observation, John Apter responded: “In recent days we’ve seen officers having camera phones stuffed in their faces while they dare to eat on duty. It may come as a surprise to some, but police officers are human beings and need to stop to eat during the little free time they have. Due to the demands of the job, the lack of police stations and even fewer police canteens, they will sometimes be seen eating in public. It’s not breaking news on social media.”