Body-worn Camera Use in Birmingham South, UK, Rated Promising

Police body-worn cameras are used by officers in the Birmingham South Local Policing Unit in the West Midlands Police force area in the United Kingdom. The goals of the body-worn camera program are to reduce officer use of force, citizen injury and officer injury. Body-worn cameras are also intended to improve procedural compliance from officers, evidence-gathering, and officer legitimacy and confidence during interactions with citizens. 

Officers were instructed to begin recording as soon as they left their vehicles and to conclude recording once the situation was resolved. The program is rated Promising. There was a statistically significant reduction in citizen injury, but no statistically significant reduction in officer use of force and officer injury. For more information, visit the National Institute of Justice's Crime Solutions.gov website at https://www.crimesolutions.gov/ProgramDetails.aspx.