Met Police to Publish More Bodycam Footage Online, Expanding a 500-Camera Policy Shift
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · May 25
Met Police to Publish More Bodycam Footage Online, Expanding a 500-Camera Policy Shift
6 articles · Updated · BBC.com · May 25
London’s Metropolitan Police said it will release more officers’ body-worn video online before cases conclude, arguing that wider publication can improve transparency, rebuild trust and protect officers from misleading clips.
The force said selectively edited videos have distorted public understanding of arrests and protests, citing footage it published after the April Golders Green knife attack and last Saturday’s public-order operation.
The Met has been increasing social-media releases showing arrests, rescues and weapons incidents, saying the material gives the public a fuller view of officers’ work and the abuse they face.
Civil liberties groups say broader use still raises accountability and surveillance concerns: a 2023 BBC investigation found more than 150 camera-misuse reports in England and Wales, while Liberty warned bodycam footage can feed facial-recognition searches.
Body-worn cameras were piloted by the Met with 500 devices in 2014 before a mass rollout in 2016, making the new disclosure policy part of a longer-running debate over policing transparency and oversight.
As police release more bodycam footage, what safeguards prevent the misuse of facial recognition seen elsewhere?
If studies show bodycams don't reduce complaints, can releasing more footage actually rebuild community trust?