Police Scotland has completed the roll-out of Body Worn Video (BWV) cameras to armed officers ahead of the COP26 climate conference.
The successful implementation of the new equipment follows extensive public engagement, earlier this year, which showed widespread support for armed police officers to be equipped with BWV.
Chief Constable Iain Livingstone announced in January 2021 that it was of critical operational importance that the technology be supplied to armed officers ahead of COP26 which begins in Glasgow on October 31.
The camera, supplied by Motorola Solutions, can be mounted on either an officer’s body armor or hat and captures both live video and audio during an incident.
Martyn Evans, Chair of the Scottish Police Authority, said: “The Authority is committed to improving access to appropriate and effective technology within Police Scotland. The use of BWV is common across U.K. policing and there is very good evidence of the benefits associated with its use including reduced public harm and increased efficiency in the criminal justice system.
“The decision to roll out BWV to Police Scotland’s armed officers during COP26 has been subject to detailed oversight and engagement with the public and this has been overwhelmingly supportive. The Authority looks forward to considering data, public views and evidence of the impact of these officers wearing BWV in due course.”
