London Police Start Campaign to Equip 22,000 Officers With Body-Worn Cameras

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The Metropolitan Police intend to equip some 22,000 officers in the British capital with body-worn cameras (BVC) to bring about "speedier justice for victims," with the deployment starting on Monday.

"The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) is taking a global lead with what is thought to be the largest rollout of body-worn cameras by police anywhere in the world to enhance the service it gives to London… Today, Monday, 17 October, will see the start of a large scale deployment of Body Worn Video (BWV) which is being issued to over 22,000 Met frontline officers," the police said in a statement.

Over the coming months, such cameras will be issued to all 32 boroughs of London, according to the Met police.

All footage recorded on the cameras will be subject to legal safeguards and guidance. As soon as the footage is captured, it is automatically uploaded to the relevant servers where it may be marked as police evidence in a certain case. If the video sample is unnecessary for either police or court activity, it shall be deleted within 31 days, according to the Met police.

In case the public has a desire to watch the video, one should issue a request in writing within the mentioned 31 days.

The BVCs will be worn on a regular basis, attached to the officer's uniform, and there will be no permanent recording. According to the London police, the officers are obliged to notify the individuals if they are being captured on a camera.

Police in London have been involved in a number of controversial cases in which people have died allegedly as a result of officer actions, including the high-profile cases of Jean Charles de Menezes in 2005, Ian Tomlinson in 2009 and Mark Duggan in 2011.