The Philippine National Police (PNP) finally launched on June 4 the use of body-worn cameras (BWC) for police operations three years after its first announcement.
PNP guidelines state that the camera will be used on operations against illegal drugs, serving search and arrest warrants, hostage rescue operations, security operations during ruling implementation of court or administrative bodies and big events.
“Ang mahalaga dito ay masisiguro ng mga BWCs na walang paglabag sa Police Operating Procedures o sa karapatang pantao na magaganap bilang proteksyon ng ating mga kababayan,” PNP chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said.
“The cameras capture real-time events and these are recorded in our central database. More importantly, footage taken through the BWCs cannot be erased easily as they are only accessible at the PNP Command Center,” he added.
Eleazar said they decided to begin body camera utilization pending Supreme Court guidelines, but will adapt the latter’s decision in case it is released.
The PNP currently has 2,000 body camera units that will be allocated to 171 police stations, including five district offices in Metro Manila. It is planning to acquire 30,000 more units for all stations.
The cameras are connected to regional offices and national headquarters command centers. Maj. Gen. Alfred Corpus, Director for Operations, said a camera can be turned on in case a cop turns it off.
The Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) welcomed the PNP’s latest decision, saying that it “will hopefully improve the conduct of police operations” since “Same time recordings will deter police from abusing their authority and from doing shortcuts.” – Report from Bea Bernardo/AG-rir
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