Police bodyworn cameras don't always provide a full picture, says international research

Charges against Mason Craig after an incident in Civic were dismissed this month after it was found officers abused their powers in a "disturbing" way during an unlawful arrest, using force that would have been excessive even if they were carrying out lawful duties.

Axon bodyworn camera (BWC) evidence submitted during the trial was crucial to the defence case.

More than 500 of the cameras are now in operational use by police across the ACT attached to the standard ballistics vest and linked electronically to each officer's Taser and firearm. When an officer's Glock pistol is pulled from its holster or the Taser activated, the camera starts recording.

However, ANU collaborative research has questioned the cameras' effectiveness.

An international team of experts has analysed studies that captured the impact of the cameras on police violence around the world. The research, published in Critical Social Policy, reveals inconsistencies in how effective BWCs are at promoting better police practice.

Professor Kate Henne, director of the ANU School of Regulation and Global Governance, said the research had detected a trend in which police departments across the US and Canada were rapidly adopting body-worn cameras "alongside statements that they would enhance police accountability in the aftermath of reported police violence against people of colour".

"We reviewed all of the literature around police bodyworn cameras and conducted a systematic review into their effectiveness," Professor Henne said.

"We found the evidence is mixed."

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Professor Henne said the studies of the cameras as a police tool to improve transparency and accountability use a "narrow" set of research methods, and many in favour of BWCs' effectiveness are inconsistent.

"Assessments of the effectiveness of BWCs tend to use evaluation methods that focus only on the interaction between the police officer and the citizen," she said.

"They do not capture the context of the interactions or examine how BWC footage is used beyond these interactions. They also aren't consulting communities who disproportionately experience higher rates of police violence."

Lawyers and human rights advocates say the balance must be in favour of accountability, given the abuses of the practice which has emerged in the US, the system could easily be abused given that police can turn the cameras on and off when they choose.

In the Mason Craig case, the ACT court heard how the defendant had been turned out of a Civic nightclub and had sought to return to collect his jacket but was barred from doing so.

Police attended and Mr Craig ran from the scene, slipped and fell, and then was tackled by a police officer.

The magistrate described the evidence captured on police bodyworn cameras and nearby CCTV cameras as "powerful and compelling", as the footage revealed how an officer used his Taser, his electrical weapon, at least 10 times on the 26-year-old, who was also sprayed in the face with capsicum spray by another of the various officers who had converged on the scene.

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