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Scotland Yard has decided not to routinely post its own video footage of controversial incidents after internal reviews showed errors by officers, a leaked document reveals.
The Met has been plagued by an avalanche of videos on social media raising concerns about arrest and search, the use of force and racial discrimination, prompting the footage from video cameras to be made public. body video.
But in an internal memo seen by The Guardian, a senior metropolitan police chief says incidents captured by cameras placed on officers’ bodies recorded examples of “poor communication, lack of patience, lack of de-escalation before it is introduced. the use of force “.
It also says that the force used by officers on members of the public could probably have been avoided in some cases.
The document was based on reviews of 95 incidents by senior officers and was written by the Met’s chief of professionalism, Deputy Deputy Commissioner Matthew Horne.
The internal memo said that reviews of images of body videos (BWV) showed “exemplary” behavior but found “many more examples” that were not, according to senior Met officials.
The document was intended to explain why the Met rejected police calls for BWV footage to be released, which were made in the belief that it would show that claims of racism and heavy-handedness triggered by viral videos on social media were unfounded.
The memo shows that Met leaders’ views on the racial crisis they have experienced this year were much more nuanced than previously thought. Interior Secretary Priti Patel has also called for the BWV images to be released.
One of the most controversial incidents involved the arrest and search of athlete Bianca Williams during which she and her partner were handcuffed while their baby was in their car. He is now being investigated by the Independent Office of Police Conduct, even though Met Commissioner Cressida Dick said officers were correct in making the arrest.
In a memo sent within the Met on August 28, Horne explained why the images would not be posted routinely, writing: “While we have seen some exemplary BWV interactions with the public, with high levels of skill, patience and professionalism , we have seen many more examples where, while the BWV does not display any behavior problems, it shows poor communication, lack of patience, failure to de-escalate before the use of force is introduced, and sometimes poor safety decisions of the agents.
“We want to be a learning organization, so when poor practices are identified or mistakes are made, we help people to develop and improve.”
Horne urged officers to communicate more, saying he could avoid the need to use force. In a section titled “Communications or Handcuffs?” Horne wrote, “Sometimes it seems that if we had talked to people a little more or taken the time to explain what we were doing, the situation may not have required the use of force. “
The document shows the Met was concerned that posting a video to the body could make things worse: “Posting BWV is very likely to exacerbate, not prevent ‘social media judgment’ and increase media interest. in an incident. “
It says: “On its own, BWV typically does not address the issue that viral images are causing public concern, such as allegations of racial profiling.”
The document shows that there could be exceptions when the images are posted, and Horne wrote: “For example: when an incident is causing so much concern in the community that there is a realistic probability of serious disruption or serious injury and it becomes a matter of trust”. in surveillance.
“In such situations, posting images would counteract inaccuracies that may be driving public reaction, thereby reducing the likelihood of mess damage. Another exception may be when BWV is a necessary requirement on an appeal of a crime … “
Horne also wrote: “When BWV shows the use of force, although the way force is used may be up to textbook standard, it is unlikely that the publication of the images will be reassuring to our communities if the BWV was available as when viewed without an expert understanding of why and that kind of force being used can exacerbate public concern regarding our tactics. “
Data protection regulations are also cited in the documents as a reason for not publishing the images collected by police officers.
Katrina Ffrench of StopWatch said: “I suspect if these images were shown it would illustrate the behaviors that Black communities have been talking about for generations, which are unprofessionalism, rudeness, excessive use of force.
Mohammed Qasim, visiting researcher in criminology at the London School of Economics, said: “There is a very real danger that by continuing to block the publication of video images, the Met will exacerbate mistrust between the black and Asian communities.”
Other exemptions to the Met’s policy of not posting video images on the body include instances where the video conveys “a sense of the general challenge officers faced,” such as footage from a protest or an illegal rave.
The Met said in a statement: “Since June 20, officers have reviewed 145 police interactions that have appeared on social media. Of these, in eight cases potential issues of conduct were identified or a referral from an IOPC Funds was deemed appropriate. In the majority of these videos, our officers were found to be performing their jobs in a professional manner.
“Officers can learn from each and every interaction they have with the public, and they are encouraged to reflect on each incident they handled and identify things that went well or could have been done differently.
“The MPS also provides ongoing training to officers throughout their careers, including de-escalation skills and alternatives to the use of force.”
