Body cams alone not enough to prevent police violence

Photo: Tony Webster/Flickr (CC BY-SA 2. Experts are calling for broader police reforms after new analysis from The Australian National University (ANU) and the University of Waterloo in Canada raised serious questions about the effectiveness of body-worn cameras (BWCs) at preventing police wrongdoing. The international team of experts analysed studies that captured the impact of BWCs on police violence around the world. The research, published in  Critical Social Policy , reveals inconsistencies in how effective BWCs are at promoting better police practice. It follows worldwide outrage sparked by instances of police brutality toward people of colour, including the  murder of George Floyd  at the hands of US police last year. "We noticed a trend in which police departments across the US and Canada were rapidly adopting body-worn cameras alongside statements that they would enhance police accountability in the aftermath of reported police violence against people of colour," Professor Kate Henne, Director of the ANU School of Regulation and Global Governance, said.  "As a result, we reviewed all of the literature around police body-worn cameras and conducted a systematic review into their effectiveness.