South Yorkshire Police pleased with success of body cams

South Yorkshire Police started issuing body cams to frontline officers last year to help them capture evidence while out on patrol.

The footage also proves useful in providing the full picture when allegations are made against officers.

Chief Superintendent Rob Odell said: “In 2019 we began the process of issuing all of our front line officers across the county with body worn video (BWV) cameras - giving them greater capability to record evidence and incidents while out on patrol.

“BWV has proven to be an asset in local policing, acting as a highly effective tool in gathering evidence, securing guilty pleas from offenders, protecting our officers from harm and malicious complaints as well as providing transparency to the communities we serve.

“Having a recording of what our officers have seen and heard not only shows exactly what they encounter day in day out, but it also allows us to present compelling evidence in court to secure justice for victims of crime.

“BWV has proven itself amongst other forces across the UK to be a brilliant deterrent as well as a source of improved evidence to support investigations, which has resulted in increased conviction rates- particularly in cases of domestic violence and public order offences.

“BWV footage can also be incredibly helpful when raising awareness among the public of particularly complex and challenging issues, as well as highlighting the experiences of our officers.”

To report incidents to South Yorkshire Police call 101.