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Body Worn Video (BWV) cameras are small, visible devices worn attached to the officers' uniform (usually on the chest). They're used to capture both video and audio evidence when officers are attending all types of incidents. They're issued to all officers who come into contact with the public.
The position of the camera means those watching the footage see the situation from the officer's perspective. The camera acts as an independent witness.
The camera records the footage onto an internal storage device. At the end of the officer's shift the footage is uploaded to a secure location so it can be used as evidence at court or other legal proceedings, or deleted after the minimum retention period (60 days) if it's not needed. The footage may be deleted after 30 days if the officer chooses to manually request deletion of the clip.
Typically officers use the cameras when they:
provide evidence in the investigation of an offence or suspected offence
provide transparency, eg during a stop and search or when force is used
help officers who know they will need to submit a written report of an encounter or incident, an aide-memoire
Officers will almost always use a camera when they are:
stopping a vehicle
going somewhere to arrest someone
searching a property, land or a vehicle
performing a stop and search
attending a critical incident
using force against someone or someone's property
attending a domestic abuse response
To find out more about how the police use BWV, the College of Policing publish guidance on their website.