Police body-worn cameras roll out expands across the country

Body-worn video cameras will be deployed to officers across Dumfries and Galloway and Ayrshire over the coming weeks.

Around 900 officers, including on-duty officers, road policing officers, dog handlers, and custody staff, will be provided with devices from Tuesday.

The move is part of Police Scotland’s national rollout of the recording equipment.

Since their introduction in Tayside in March 2025, the devices have captured over 400,000 recordings, with almost 91,000 hours of footage uploaded to Police Scotland’s digital evidence-sharing system.

The force said the initiative can help de-escalate incidents, improve public trust in policing, reduce complaints, support officer and staff safety, and bring wider benefits to the criminal justice system.

Chief superintendent Conrad Trickett said: “The national rollout of body-worn video cameras is a key priority for us and is one of the ways that we can work towards our vision of safer communities and less crime.

“The cameras and technology will improve the quality of evidence presented in court to deliver faster justice for victims by increasing early guilty pleas and reduce the time spent at court for victims, witnesses and police officers.

“Body-worn video can significantly enhance public confidence and support officer and public safety by providing effective and transparent evidence of police and public interactions.

“There is strong public and partner support for body-worn video, and we will continue to explain our use of this important technology, including assurance around data privacy and human rights considerations.”

Every frontline uniformed police officer, including special constables, will be expected to wear a video camera on their uniform while on duty and to activate it when using police powers, whether during a stop and search, an arrest, or the execution of a search warrant.

Police staff in custody suites will also use cameras when interacting with people in custody.

The footage may be used as evidence, but it will not replace existing procedures and requirements when gathering all available information.

“The national rollout of body-worn video cameras is a key priority for us and is one of the ways that we can work towards our vision of safer communities and less crime,” Dumfries and Galloway local commander, chief superintendent Steven Meikle said.

Video footage will be uploaded to secure police systems and the evidence will be shared with the COPFS using the new Digital Evidence Sharing Capability (DESC) system.

The introduction of body worn video is not intended to encourage the greater use of single police officer deployments or alter current deployment models for policing in Scotland.