Local Police Demonstrate Use of Body Worn Video


Members of public invited to police encounter panel

A body worn video camera
A body worn video camera

Police body worn video have been demonstrated to members of public in first of a series of Police Encounter Panels organised by the Met in local boroughs.

On 5 May, people from across South West London attended the event hosted by the South West Basic Command Unit (BCU), which includes the boroughs of Wandsworth, Merton, Kingston and Richmond.

In this meeting the public watched footage recorded on Police body worn video (BWV) cameras while officers are duty, and offered their views on what went well or what the Met could improve.

The panel also saw a number of uses of Taser by police, with members of the Met's Taser training team on hand to answer any questions.

The panels are to be set up across 12 BCUs, and will comprise of independent community members, senior police officers and the Met Federation or appropriate staff support associations.

The main purpose of these panels is to improve public trust and confidence in the Met, by allowing the community to offer appropriate scrutiny and feedback of policing encounters. The Met says that this is part of its programme to be transparent and build trust and confidence in the community.

The panels aim to incorporate the community experience of policing, use these experiences to improve the way officers understand interactions with the public and allow local communities to review broader aspects of local policing practice.

If you are interested in joining one of these panels, the police are particularly interested in recruiting members from those communities that are most impacted by policing encounters (especially those aged under 25), but they welcome applications from all community members.

See more information and find out how to join one of these panels.

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May 6, 2022