Statistics - More police bodycams than before
The police in Lower Saxony are increasingly using cameras on their uniforms. The number of so-called bodycams has risen in recent years, as the Ministry of the Interior in Hanover reported in response to a question from the German press agency dpa. In 2020, there were 883 of the small cameras in the police inventory, one year later 1063. In 2022, the number was 1085, in the current year 2023 it rose to 1129. 1116 bodycams are currently operational in the Lower Saxony police force, it said.
According to the ministry, the main aim of the small devices is to protect police officers and other people from violent attacks. According to the ministry, the cameras can be an additional tool in conflict situations to defuse dangerous situations or prevent them from arising in the first place. Bodycams could also help in the prosecution of criminal offenses, according to the ministry. Recordings can be used as evidence in investigations.
The data is transferred to a server via docking stations. If they are not required for the prosecution of crimes or misdemeanors, the recordings are deleted after 28 days. All officers with a camera have the words "video recording" on their uniform.
The police union (GdP) in Lower Saxony considers bodycams to be a good way of seamlessly documenting police actions, relevant events and the actions of individuals in various situations. Even in smaller departments, police officers are able to equip themselves with a bodycam, said Sebastian Timke, deputy state chairman of the GdP Lower Saxony. He cited the requirement that bodycams may only be used on public roads or squares or in other publicly accessible places as a challenge. There are currently 19,500 police officers in Lower Saxony.
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- The increase in police bodycams in Lower Saxony has been attributed to a rise in the number of small cameras in the police inventory, as reported by the Ministry of the Interior in Hanover to the German Press Agency dpa.
- In response to the growing use of bodycams by police officers, the police union (GdP) in Lower Saxony sees it as a beneficial tool for seamlessly documenting police actions and relevant events.
- According to statistics from the Ministry of the Interior, the rise in bodycam usage is primarily aimed at protecting police officers and other individuals from violent attacks, while also serving as an additional tool in conflict situations.
- The Ministry of the Interior in Hanover stated that that recordings from bodycams can be used as evidence in investigations, as recorded data is transferred to a server via docking stations and deleted after 28 days if not required for prosecution.
- Despite the benefits of bodycams, Sebastian Timke, deputy state chairman of the GdP Lower Saxony, identified the requirement that bodycams may only be used on public roads or squares or in other publicly accessible places as a challenge even in smaller police departments with a total of 19,500 officers in Lower Saxony.
Source: www.stern.de
