West Yorkshire Police has revealed why firearms officers don’t wear body-worn cameras after coming under criticism over the absence of video footage of the police shooting of Mohammed Yassar Yaqub on the M62.
The force said it was not currently possible for firearms officers to wear chest-mounted cameras because the devices it has aren’t positioned in the right place when used in conjunction with a gun.
The position of the cameras would “hinder” officers on operations and the position of guns prevented footage being recorded.
A team of Yorkshire officers is now working on a solution “that can be both body and head mounted”, according to a West Yorkshire Police report.
Following the shooting of Yassar Yaqub on January 2, it emerged that the firearms officers involved were not wearing body-worn video cameras. Mr Yaqub’s family were critical of the lack of cameras.
A report by Chief Insp Ian Williams reveals that the force has 2,000 body worn cameras, with 700 currently deployed.
Chief Insp Williams said: “Firearms officers do not currently use BWV (body worn video) as when worn, the current device is positioned in such a way that when used in conjunction with a firearm it would fail to record the relevant footage and would also hinder the officer wearing it operationally.
“Following National Police Chief Council recommendations concerning BWV being used by firearms officers, a Yorkshire and Humberside regional project team was formed. The team are working towards a solution that can be both body and head mounted. The team have been consulting nationally with other police forces to help identify a suitable option.”
The report says that, later this year, companies will be invited by West Yorkshire Police to demonstrate their products.
“This will lead to a shortlisting and a trial to identify the best product to meet the relevant specific requirements of a firearms officer.”
The report, published on the website of Police and Crime Commissioner Mark Burns-Williamson, says that the Force purchased 2,000 body-worn cameras from Reveal Media which were rolled out to frontline staff from May this year.
Around 700 cameras have been given to officers in Kirklees, Bradford and Calderdale, including to all non-firearms Taser-equipped officers.
“The cameras are generally well received by officers and the public alike,” the report notes. The cameras had helped to quickly resolve complaints while others had been withdrawn.
Software and hardware problems had led to a delay in their use, the report said.
A battery problem also came to light. The supplier offered to upgrade 2,000 cameras which caused a three-month delay to the rollout, now due to be completed by April.
