Police Panopticon: Zooming in on the Use of Body Worn Cameras by Victoria Police Officers

We all want to feel safe and be treated with dignity. This becomes particularly important when interacting with police officers, both, as a victim of crime or an alleged perpetrator. Therefore, we must always consider mechanisms for improving police accountability.

Body-worn cameras (BWCs) have evolved as a useful tool for promoting police accountability and transparency, particularly in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement.

While there is a rapid expansion in the use of BWCs in Victoria, a lack of specific legislation and external oversight on their use means that any benefit of the technology is in the hands of Victoria Police alone. As a result, the key goals of promoting accountability and efficiency are not being optimised.

Victoria needs urgent reform to ensure that body worn cameras are used in a manner that enhances police accountability.

This report identifies critical areas related to police use of BWCs and outlines recommendations for legislative and policy reform to ensure that BWCs are used in a way that promotes, accountability and transparency in policing and to ensure BWC are being used in a manner that is consistent, clear and promotes the safety and dignity of all members of the public.

This report was written by the Rights Advocacy Project’s 2020-2021 criminal justice team: Samantha Varghese, Ovi Rajasinghe, Mahnoor Sikandar, Kiara Wagner, and Katherine Schofield.