Met police detainee transport vans to get CCTV after deaths in custody
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Version 0 of 1. Police vans that transport detainees to cells in London are to be fitted with CCTV, Britain’s most senior police officer has announced, following pressure from families bereaved by deaths in custody. Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, the Metropolitan police commissioner, said every borough will have at least one van with five video cameras, three microphones and two monitors, in an attempt to increase transparency in his force. Hogan-Howe’s announcement comes less than a week after Theresa May, the home secretary, announced a review of deaths in custody, which will investigate restraint methods used by officers and how incidents are scrutinised. The number of people dying in police custody has reached its highest level in five years, increasing to 17 people in 2014-15 from 11 the previous year. The commissioner said the decision was influenced by concerns raised by a number of bereaved families, including relatives of Sean Rigg, who died in 2008 of a heart attack at Brixton police station, London. Rigg’s sister, Marcia Rigg-Samuel said: “I am so pleased that the commissioner has responded positively to what I, and many families, have called for when faced with unanswered questions about what happens to a member of the public who disappears into the back of a police van and emerges with unaccounted-for injuries or in ill health. “If there had been cameras in place back in August 2008 when my brother was detained in Brixton then the footage would have answered many key questions which remain under investigation by the IPCC (Independent Police Complaints Commission) to this day.” Related: Theresa May to launch independent review of deaths in police custody Hogan-Howe said the CCTV in vans was part of a wider rollout of new technology to frontline officers, which also includes body-worn cameras. “This equipment will be able to make a record of some of the very challenging circumstances police officers are asked to deal with on a daily basis and then demonstrate, more effectively, the reality of policing our capital and our officers’ professionalism,” he said. The decision to roll out the cameras follows two trials in 2012 in Lambeth and Haringey, and 121 of 129 vans have already been fitted, with the remainder of the fleet due to follow suit in the coming months. However, it does not cover police cars, which also transport detainees to custody. All future vans commissioned by the Met to transport detainees to custody will have the CCTV system fitted as standard. The system turns on when the car is started and continues for 30 minutes after the engine is switched off. Cameras record outside the vehicle at the front and rear, while there are three cameras inside providing views of the cell area and the officer escort section. A rear display monitor provides images of the cell area, allowing continuous monitoring of the detainee. Recordings are captured on a digital video recorder fitted inside the vehicle. All data will be automatically overwritten after a minimum of 22 days, but if it is required for a criminal investigation or other policing purpose it will be downloaded from the system and stored. |