The Metropolitan Police has committed to releasing more bodyworn camera footage, a move designed to rebuild public trust and counter viral social media clips.
The force believes quicker video releases will combat "selectively edited" online content, improving "openness, transparency and accountability" across its operations.
This policy follows incidents like last month’s Golders Green knife attack, where officers faced online criticism for their use of force. The Met trialled this approach by releasing the relevant bodyworn footage hours after that incident, directly addressing the online discourse.
Bodyworn footage used to typically be published following the conclusion of any criminal proceedings, which often meant it was not seen until years after an incident.
The force also released footage of the far-right “Unite the Kingdom” protest, to “provide an insight into the abuse officers faced from protesters”.
Commander Neerav Patel, of the Met, has said that the policy will show people the work the force is doing, and help protect officers.
He said: “We are increasingly seeing videos posted online, which are selectively edited or show a short snippet of a longer interaction. Without the full picture this undermines the work of our officers. They must know we will have their back and support them.
“We also know there will be occasions where we haven’t got things right, and it’s important that we continue to be transparent in these instances so we can further rebuild the trust our communities have in us.”
The Met has now pledged to “proactively release” bodyworn video in a number of instances, including to help trace suspects, when footage is shown in court, to illustrate a heroic act, or to help illustrate a significant or contentious event.
The policy adds that the expectation is that the force will disclose footage “where practically possible” particularly amid concerns from the community.
They say that they hope the policy will help build trust and confidence in the Met, but also allow them to “back” their officers following an incident.
