A new recommendation from the New South Wales Police watchdog suggests that officers must turn on their body-worn cameras (BWV) when they expect to use their powers.
The recommendation comes after a review by the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission (LECC), which found that officers are currently only advised to activate their cameras, not required to.
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The review looked into several cases where officers failed to turn on their BWV, which led to crucial evidence being missing.
One high-profile case involved the shooting of 41-year-old Steven Pampalian in May 2023, when police shot him dead in Sydney’s North Shore.
He was allegedly armed with knives, but the officer’s BWV camera was not turned on during the incident, raising concerns about the lack of footage.
The LECC’s report recommends that officers “must” activate their BWV when exercising their powers or if it’s likely that an interaction could lead to using those powers.
This is to ensure transparency and accountability, and to capture all relevant evidence in investigations.
The report also suggests that if officers don’t activate their cameras, they must record their reasons for not doing so.
Currently, several Australian states, including Queensland and Victoria, already require officers to activate their cameras in similar situations.
The LECC’s recommendation would bring NSW in line with these states.
NSW Minister for Police and Counterterrorism Yasmin Catley said the government is reviewing the LECC’s report.
“Body-worn video is an important tool for NSW Police officers, allowing them to record incidents or events where visual and audio evidence may support an investigation.”
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