Police forces are increasingly using body-worn cameras to ensure the protection of their officers and as a means to dispel aggression at the early stage of a confrontation. Given their advantages, now the private sector is also attempting to use them in order to improve security.
“Due to the success of BWC [body-worn cameras] roll-outs in police, security companies began using BWCs, finding evident benefits from doing so,” notes Edesix, a provider of body-worn camera solutions, in a post on their website. “Security services benefit from many similar features that are of assistance to police. In this way, using BWC helps security companies on a multitude of fronts.”
The post added that the presence of the camera reduces physical and verbal attacks as people tend to modify their behavior once they become aware that they are being captured on camera. It helps as a separate source of evidence if there are any complaints or disputes. Companies can also keep track of who is using which camera, and its automatic encryption enables possible use as evidence in the court.
But body-worn cameras might be finding it difficult to encourage its adoption as a standalone security solution. This could be the reason the company is attempting to tie-up with other large security solution providers.
Edesix recently partnered with Genetec, allowing more customers to add body-worn cameras to their system. In a release accompanying the announcement, Edesix said that the relationship will enable the company’s body-worn cameras to integrate seamlessly with the Genetec Security Center, which will offer streamlined wearable security management, support and storage for city-wide surveillance and law enforcement.
“Body Worn Video has become a key component within the security sector, providing a greater awareness and accountability of events for its users,” said Richie McBride, Managing Director at Edesix in the release. “However, we understand that a stand-alone system can be inefficient for larger security outfits, which is why we have worked closely with Genetec to integrate our Body Worn solution to Security Center.”
However, some studies have shown that
police officers wearing body-worn cameras are more likely to face violence than those who aren’t. According to researchers at Cambridge and RAND Europe who studied camera use on officers the U.S. and the U.K., assaults against them were 15 percent more when they were wearing cameras.