Armed officers of Scotland Yard were today issued head-mounted video cameras in a bid to increase "transparency" and build public trust in policing in the British Capital.
The UK's largest police force said that officers in its armed response units will have cameras fitted to baseball caps and ballistic helmets as part of its rollout of body worn videos (BWV) in London.
"It provides a documented and accurate account of the threats officers face and the split second decisions they make. The cameras also offer greater transparency for those in front of the camera as well as those behind it," Metropolitan Police Commander Matt Twist, the in-charge of the force's Firearms Command, said.
"Officers who carry an overt firearm as part of their role very much welcome the use of Body Worn Video," he said.
The Firearms Command will receive around 1,000 Axon Flex 2 cameras to encompass the additional firearms officers recruited as part of Operation Hercules.
More than 17,500 BWV cameras have been rolled out so far in London, in what has been described as the largest rollout of body worn cameras by police in the world.
The cameras have already been issued to frontline officers in 30 of the 32 boroughs of the city, to officers from the Roads and Transport Policing Command, the Territorial Support Group and the Dog Support Unit. The remaining boroughs will be issued with BWV before the end of this month.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: "Body Worn Video is a huge step forward in bringing our capital's police force into the 21st century and building trust and confidence in the city's policing".
"This technology is helping to drive down complaints against officers across London and will make a real difference to those carrying firearms, increasing accountability and helping to gather better evidence for swifter justice.
"As we complete the London-wide rollout, the cameras will also provide our officers with confidence in the transparency of their actions, as they continue their great work on the frontline fighting crime and keeping our city safe," he said.
The cameras have the potential to help bring speedy justice for victims by increasing the opportunities for obtaining early guilty pleas because offenders know their actions have been recorded.
Since September 2016, officers have recorded almost 785,000 videos of which 460,000 have been auto-deleted from the system as per the policy on retention of footage, the Met Police said.
All footage recorded on BWV is subject to legal safeguards and guidance under the British law.
The footage from the camera is automatically uploaded to secure servers once the device has been docked and flagged for use as evidence at court or other proceedings.
Video not retained as evidence or for a policing purpose is automatically deleted within 31 days.
If the UK public wish to view footage taken of them they can request in writing to obtain it under freedom of information and data protection laws.
The cameras are attached to the officer's uniform and do not permanently record. This ensures interactions with the public are not unnecessarily impeded.
Members of the public will be informed if they are recorded.
When the camera is recording, it is highly visible with a flashing red circle in the centre of the camera and a frequent beeping noise when it's activated, the Met said.
The deployment of a total of 22,000 cameras is expected to be complete by the end of October.
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