Conservative candidate Mr Goldsmith’s comments on police body worn cameras
Dear editor,
Your coverage of Conservative candidate Mr Goldsmith’s comments on police body worn cameras shows how lacking is his detailed knowledge of policing issues. Body worn cameras are a ‘win/win’ for both police and public. They help calm situations where suspects are confronted , ensure a contemporaneous record is available, and avoid unwarranted allegations of police misconduct. They also ensure that sensitive interventions like stop and search are conducted properly and high policing standards are maintained.
There is an issue for firearms officers, which I saw for myself when I visited the impressive Gravesend firearms training school a couple of months ago. This is a technical problem not a principled one: how to mount a camera that is not obscured and properly records events on the comparatively rare occasions when a firearm is being deployed, given both the number of different firearm aiming positions that can be taken and the need for plain clothes officers to maintain that cover. What is clear are the excellent skills of firearms officers, their sense of public duty, and their high levels of professionalism and commitment- which most people would be surprised to hear does not carry any additional pay or benefits for the immense responsibilities they carry on our behalf.
Yours sincerely,
Andrew Dismore AM
Labour London Assembly member for Barnet and Camden
