Body Cameras Could Be Rolled Out to More South Kesteven Council Officers
Move aims to tackle abuse against frontline staff and boost their safety
Council officers could be issued with body worn video cameras in an effort to deter people from being abusive.
A recommendation has been put forward by South Kesteven District Council to help protect the safety of its frontline officers, and was discussed by a scrunity committee which covers the environment and communities.
At the moment, body worn cameras are only worn by civil enforcement officers issued parking tickets and fines for littering and dog fouling but under the plans, the devices would be also be issued to frontline officers in roles including public protection, private sector housing, development management, building control, finance and tenancy services.
Cabinet member for corporate governance and licensing, Philip Knowles (Ind – Bourne East), said:
“The use of BWV (body worn videos) aims to enhance personal safety, reduce incidents of abuse or aggression and provide an accurate record of events, increasing transparency and accountability.”
But Councillor Max Sawyer asked what would happen ‘if the evidence is lost’ because an officer is involved in an ‘altercation’.
Head of service for public protection, Ayeisha Kirkham, replied: “I’d hate at any point for it to happen like that because it would be absolutely horrendous if that officer had that sort of experience where it was destroyed in some sort of altercation.
“But if the evidence is lost, it’s just that it doesn’t add to our case, so we can’t utilise it.
“But at the end of the day, most of the steps that we put in place are to secure the evidence and to make sure that it is available to us, so we can do something for every eventuality and I would be horrified if that sort of action happened to our officers.”
If the proposal goes ahead when cabinet discuss it at a later date, council officers would only be able to record evidence when they deem it necessary to protect their personal safety or if they feel they are at risk of harm.
If implemented, officers would need to clearly display that they’re wearing a device and they would be required to verbally state when a recording is taking place.
All council officers would be required to undertake training before they can use the devices to ensure they are used lawfully and comply with data protection regulations.
The information collected would be stored securely and will be only held for as long as it is deemed necessary.