The One Problem With Issuing Head Cameras To Armed Police: Iain Dale
14 August 2017, 18:05 | Updated: 22 August 2017, 09:54
The Met Police has announced armed officers are to be issued with head-mounted cameras in an effort to provide “greater transparency” in police shootings but Iain Dale highlights the pivotal problem that comes with this.
The UK’s largest police force said its armed response units will have cameras fitted to baseball caps and ballistic helmets.
In 2011 the Met was criticised over the shooting of Mark Duggan, which led to riots across England.
Although Iain said he was not against the idea, he did feel it was not the “fix all solution”.
Speaking on his LBC show, he said: “What happens, for example, if for some reason the equipment malfunctions or it’s just not switched on?
“Because there is then going to be automatic assumptions of foul play with the individual police officer, even if it’s nothing to do with them, it may be a faulty camera or maybe they just forgot.
“Yet the assumption will always be that if there isn’t any footage that’s some how to the detriment of that particular police officer.”
Watch Iain’s take at the top of this page.
