FAQ Details
Body Worn/Head Cameras - 342/10
Dated: 07 Jun 2011
Date of request: 15/06/2010
Date of response: 02/07/2010
Provision of information held by Northumbria Police made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the 'Act')(FOIA)
Thank you for your email dated 15 June 2010 in which you made a request for access to certain information which may be held by Northumbria Police.
As you may be aware the purpose of the Act is to allow a general right of access to information held by a Public Authority (including the Police), subject to certain limitations and exemptions.
You asked:
How many Body Worn/Head Cameras do Northumbria Police currently own and/or operate?
How much did Northumbria Police spend procuring Body Worn/Head Cameras and all accompanying operating equipment?
If any of Northumbria Police’s Body Worn/Head Cameras were bought using the Home Office £3 million grant, how much of that £3 million did Northumbria Police receive?
How long does Northumbria Police store video and/or sound evidence from Body Worn/Head Cameras before it is deleted?
How many successful convictions have occurred in which Northumbria Police’s Body Worn/Head Cameras formed part of the Court evidence? Please note I am not asking for details of the defendants or the case itself.
In response:
We have now had the opportunity to fully consider your request and I provide a response for your attention.
Searches within our Procurement Department have found that Northumbria Police have 88 body worn/head cameras.
A total of £85,000 was spent procuring the cameras and accompanying operating equipment.
Northumbria Police did not receive any monies from the Home Office grant to purchase such items.
They would be subject to the same requirements as CCTV recordings (ie, 28 days) - this would be influenced by whether they have recorded a crime or perhaps recorded something that could have the potential to have a civil claim against the force. Evidence will be stored until the case has been heard at court and concluded. A decision would then be made on storing/deleting evidence in line with procedure.
Northumbria Police holds no information specific to this part of your request.
The information we have supplied to you is likely to contain intellectual property rights of Northumbria Police. Your use of the information must be strictly in accordance with the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 (as amended) or such other applicable legislation. In particular, you must not re-use this information for any commercial purpose.
How to complain
If you are unhappy with our decision or do not consider that we have handled your request properly and we are unable to resolve this issue informally, you are entitled to make a formal complaint to us under our complaints procedure which can be found at: http://www.northumbria.police.uk/foi/disclosurelog/foicomprights.asp
If you are still unhappy after we have investigated your complaint and reported to you the outcome, you may complain directly to the Information Commissioner’s Office and request that they investigate to ascertain whether we have dealt with your request in accordance with the Act.