By Emily Caulkett-
Every prison officer in England and Wales now has access to a body-worn video camera while on shift to help keep them safe and cut prison violence, the new Lord Chancellor has announced today (28 April 2023).
Alex Chalk KC confirmed 13,000 new and improved cameras are now available across public sector prisons, as he met staff at HMP Isis in London to mark his first week in post.
The cameras are produced by Motorola Solutions- a leading provider of innovative communication solutions- which announced the launch of its new body-worn video camera for prison officers in the UK. The camera is designed to enhance the safety and security of prison staff and inmates, while also providing valuable evidence in the event of incidents and disputes.
The cameras have already been rolled out to 106 public sector prisons.
Research show a 15-20% reduction in reported incidents of violence and abuse was recorded when body-worn cameras are in use, providing improved welfare, an independent witness through the provision of transparency and the reduction of false accusation. In many respects, it acts as an effective deterrence against violent conduct in prisons.
The last decade has seen an increase in violent attacks against prison officers1 and this has had a ripple effect on their mental welfare and absence rate. Now prison services are increasingly turning to body-worn cameras to tackle the issue.
A pilot study published in 2020 showed body worn cameras could allow for more detailed examination of the events leading up to and management incidents enhance evidence capture
It doubles the total available to be used every time an officer is on duty, capturing challenging prisoner behaviour and how staff have dealt with it, helping to stop false accusations from prisoners.
It means staff can be more confident in the actions they take to de-escalate tricky situations and a pilot study published in 2020 found they can improve trust between staff and prisoners.
These new devices also offer superior image and audio quality, leading to improved evidence gathering which can speed up prison adjudication processes, support criminal prosecutions and potentially halt lengthy legal action – saving taxpayers’ money and courts’ time.
They also help reduce the need to pay unnecessary compensation to prisoners paid who have made up allegations.
Body-worn cameras recently proved their worth when a prisoner’s claim to have been assaulted while resisting a transfer to HMP Rochester was thrown out by police. Footage worn throughout the incident found prison staff used reasonable force.
Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary, Alex Chalk KC, said:
”These new, improved video cameras are proving highly effective at preventing vexatious claims by prisoners, calming volatile situations, and keeping our dedicated prison officers and our prisons safe.
Other security measures including synthetic pepper spray, x-ray body scanners and airport style security are helping turn prisoners away from crime and towards purposeful activity.
The new cameras are the latest measure, building on our £100 million investment to improve safety in prisons and protect frontline staff, adding to the roll-out of PAVA spray and police-style restraints rolled out in men’s prisons in recent years.
It follows the government toughening prison sentences for assaults on emergency workers – including prison officers, by raising maximum sentences to 12 months in 2018 and again to up to 2 years, through last year’s Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act.
Jade Turner, Custodial Manager at HMP Styal said:
As prison officers, sometimes we have to deal with difficult situations and I have found body worn cameras help make my job safer, while reassuring prisoners we will work with them openly and transparently.
The Ministry Of Justice said its game-changing X-ray body scanners have thwarted almost more than 28,000 attempts to smuggle drugs, phones and weapons.n recent years police forces have increasingly moved to equip officers with body worn video
cameras.
Alongside the growing trend to equip police officers with BWVC technology, staff
and residents in prisons in England and Wales have in recent years experienced increasing
levels of violence.