Lords voice support for release of officers’ body-worn video

15 July 2021

Suffolk Police Federation secretary Ben Hudson has welcomed support in the House of Lords for a campaign to allow the release of officers’ body-worn video to counter “trial by social media”.

Peers discussed the need for forces to be more proactive with releasing body-worn video footage in a session in the House of Lords.

Ben has in turn discussed the issue with Chief Constable Steve Jupp.

“As a branch we will be working with the Chief Constable and the corporate communications team to develop a policy that will enable the Force to release body-worn video (BWV) to help counter the trial by media effect of people posting edited clips on platforms such as Facebook and Twitter in a bid to vilify officers,” said Ben.

“Where appropriate, the Federation firmly believes officers’ body-worn video footage should be released to support members caught in the eye of a ‘social media storm’ and balance edited and out-of-context clips posted by members of the public.

“Trial by social media can be a traumatic experience. You’re in the eye of a social media storm, with noise coming at you from all sides, often whipped up by people with an agenda.

“The Chief Constable fully understands our concerns and has committed to work with us and the corporate communications department to ensure that where possible the Force will release footage to show the full context of officers’ interactions with the public.”

In November last year, the National Police Chiefs’ Council issued a new policy on the release of BWV to forces but many are still to act on this guidance.

During the House of Lords debate, Minister of State, Baroness Williams of Trafford, Minister of State, told the House of Lords that “speed is of the essence” when it comes to police publicising their interactions with the public.

She added: “Selective release of video can paint a very different picture from what actually happened. This point has been made again and again. It is absolutely right that these things be released quickly and brought forward in a way that does not undermine the criminal justice system that ensues.”

John Apter, the national chair of the Police Federation, said: “It is good to see this important issue has been raised in the House of Lords as we have been pushing for change in this area over the past year. What is frustrating is only a handful of forces have adopted the new guidance issued by the NPCC and many are not as proactive as they could be. It shouldn’t be taking so long to do something which would support our colleagues.

“Not only are police officers being hung out to dry when these incredibly damaging, one-sided clips are posted on social media with absolutely no context, but they risk jeopardising public confidence in the service and undermines the criminal justice process.

“Policy is better than it was, but I would strongly urge more forces to take full advantage of the new guidance and be more proactive in either releasing body-worn video clips, or issuing a statement to add context to what is circulating. I completely accept that in some cases we are unable to release footage and the new guidance recognises this - it is all about striking a balance.”

John also defended officers criticised in a video for stopping for lunch in their vehicle.

He said: “In recent days we have seen officers having camera phones stuffed in their faces while they dare to eat on duty. It may come as a surprise to some, but police officers are humans beings and need to stop to eat during the little time they have free.

“Because of the demands of the job, lack of police stations and even fewer police canteens they will sometimes be seen eating in public, this should not be breaking news on social media.”