VIDEO – Some have dubbed them ‘anti-abuse cameras’; on Wednesday 1 March, the decree making the use of body-worn cameras standard practice during identity checks in priority security zones (ZSPs) comes into force.
Tested since 2014 at certain locations, body-worn cameras for police officers in Priority Security Zones (ZSPs) have been made compulsory by a decree under the Equality and Citizenship Act, which comes into force this Wednesday. The decree sets out the framework for “the trial of the use of body-worn cameras by municipal police officers in the course of their duties.”
This scheme will be trialled until 3 June 2018 in 23 areas, including “ZSPs within Paris itself, in the inner and outer suburbs, as well as in departments such as Haute-Garonne and Alpes-Maritimes”, the Ministry of the Interior explained. Following this trial year, “the Directors-General of the National Police and the National Gendarmerie will submit an evaluation report to the Minister for the Interior on the impact of these systematic recordings on the conduct of operations”, the Ministry of the Interior stated.
Whilst the police and gendarmerie are currently equipped with 2,600 body-worn cameras, this figure will be “at least doubled”, according to the Minister for the Interior, Bruno Le Roux. He has asked the ministry’s departments “to award a new contract as soon as possible so that, in the coming months, all military personnel and civil servants operating in ZSPs can be equipped with body-worn cameras”.
De-escalating the situation during an identity check
Whilst the debate on relations between the police and the public, particularly in disadvantaged neighbourhoods, was reignited by the violent arrest of a young man in Aulnay-sous-Bois (Seine-Saint-Denis) in early February, the government considered that this measure “helped to ease tensions during police checks”.
When interviewed by *Le Figaro* during the vote on the bill at the end of December, Jean-Christophe Duhamel, of the municipal police officers’ union (SDPM), believed that these body-worn cameras could “reduce false accusations against officers” and “provide clear evidence of their good faith”.
But as far as he is concerned, “it doesn’t provide any extra security during operations”. Worse still, “offenders, especially young people, get even more agitated as soon as they spot a camera”. The trade unionist considered this measure insufficient, stating: “What we want is to be armed, because we’re dealing with criminals, so there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be able to defend ourselves.”
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Whilst Bruno Le Roux stated in early February that the system would be mandatory, Médiapart points out that it is not automatic on the selected models. It must be activated by the civil servant, which could lead to oversights. Nevertheless, the Home Secretary stated in early February that this system was “far more practical than a receipt, which would create a certain amount of red tape.”
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This systematic roll-out of body-worn cameras in ZSPs is currently the subject of a decree under consideration by the Council of State.