Issue - meetings

Matter for Decision

Body Worn Cameras (BWCs) have been in use in the UK since 2006, and the officer’s report provided information to members on the introduction of BWC for Enforcement Officers (EOs), as a means of improving ‘incident specific’ evidence, personal safety and improving the delivery of environmental crime enforcement within Cambridge.

 

Decision of the Leader and Executive Councillor for Strategy and Transformation

i.          Noted the contents of the report and agreed to the implementation of the use of Body Worn Cameras by Enforcement Officers as outlined in the report from 10 October 2016.

ii.          Authorised the purchase of Body Worn Cameras from the Fixed Penalty Notice fund.

iii.          Approved the Code of Practice and Operational Procedure, as set out in Appendix A and B respectively, of the Officer’s report subject to the insertion in the Purpose Statement of the Code of Practice (s.3, p.181) of an additional bullet point with the words: to promote officer compliance with council policies and procedures and to the addition to the end of Recording section of the Operational Procedure (s3.4, p.188) of a sentence with the words: Recording may also be instigated by Council Officers at the request of a member of the public who is being engaged by an Enforcement Officer.

iv.          Requested officers brought as part of the annual CCTV report to the scrutiny committee on operation of Body Worn Cameras, showing:

·        Frequency of making recordings

·        Conformance with storage duration guidelines

·        Actual use of recordings for the purposes defined

·        Supply of recordings to other agencies

·        Availability of recordings of incidents where a public complaint is later made

Reason for the Decision

As set out in the Officer’s report.

 

Any Alternative Options Considered and Rejected

Not applicable.

 

Scrutiny Considerations

The Committee received a report from the Operations Manager – Community Engagement and Enforcement.

 

The Committee made the following comment in response to the report:

i.             Body worn cameras would offer a source of protection to the public as well as to officers.

ii.            Questioned how it could be ensured that cameras were switched on when they needed to be.

 

Officers said the following in response to Members’ questions:

i.             The public can ask that Officers turn on their cameras if the member of the public wants the incident to be recorded. A light showed when the camera was recording.

 

Councillor Bick proposed the following amendments (additional text underlined):

 

Add to end of Recommendation (3):

 

Approve the Code of Practice and Operational Procedure, as set out in Appendix A and B respectively of this report:

·        subject to the insertion in the Purpose Statement of the Code of Practice (s.3, p.181) of an additional bullet point with the words: to promote officer compliance with council policies and procedures

 

·        subject to the addition to the end of Recording section of the Operational Procedure (s3.4, p.188) of a sentence with the words: Recording may also be instigated by Council Officers at the request of a member of the public who is being engaged by an Enforcement Officer.”

 

Add further recommendation 4:

Request officers to bring as part of the annual CCTV report to the scrutiny committee on operation of Body Worn Cameras, showing:

·        Frequency of making recordings

·        Conformance with storage duration guidelines

·        Actual use of recordings for the purposes defined

·        Supply of recordings to other agencies

·        Availability of recordings of incidents where a public complaint is later made

On a show of hands this was agreed unanimously.

 

The amended recommendation was therefore put to the vote:

 

v.          Note the contents of the report and agreed to the implementation of the use of Body Worn Cameras by Enforcement Officers as outlined in the report from 10 October 2016.

vi.          Authorise the purchase of Body Worn Cameras from the Fixed Penalty Notice fund.

vii.          Approve the Code of Practice and Operational Procedure, as set out in Appendix A and B respectively, of the Officer’s report subject to the insertion in the Purpose Statement of the Code of Practice (s.3, p.181) of an additional bullet point with the words: to promote officer compliance with council policies and procedures and to the addition to the end of Recording section of the Operational Procedure (s3.4, p.188) of a sentence with the words: Recording may also be instigated by Council Officers at the request of a member of the public who is being engaged by an Enforcement Officer.

viii.          Request officers to bring as part of the annual CCTV report to the scrutiny committee on operation of Body Worn Cameras, showing:

·        Frequency of making recordings

·        Conformance with storage duration guidelines

·        Actual use of recordings for the purposes defined

·        Supply of recordings to other agencies

·        Availability of recordings of incidents where a public complaint is later made

The Committee unanimously resolved to endorse the amended recommendations.

 

The Leader approved the amended recommendations.

 

Conflicts of Interest Declared by the Leader (and any Dispensations Granted)

No conflicts of interest were declared by the Leader.