PNP chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar (Photo courtesy of PNP)
MANILA – The transparency and legitimacy of law enforcement operations will now be assured with the use of body-worn cameras (BWCs) by police officers, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said on Friday.
“Dati ang sinasabi lang natin, baka sakali. Ngayon, tuloy na tuloy na matapos maglabas ang ating Supreme Court (SC) ng mga panuntunan sa pagsumite bilang court evidence ng mga video na kuha ng ating mga body cameras (In the past, we just say it may be possible. Now, it is really possible as the SC issued guidelines on the use of videos from body cameras as court evidence," Eleazar said in a press conference in Camp Crame.
Eleazar officially gave the go-signal for police officers to use BWCs on Friday after over 600 personnel completed training on its use.
He also thanked former PNP chiefs, including now Senator Ronald Dela Rosa, for initiating the review for the procurement of the best body cameras up to his predecessor Debold Sinas, who signed the final papers of the delivery.
He also thanked the SC for continuously assisting the PNP in coming up with the guidelines for the presentation of the BWC data as court evidence.
“The procurement and eventually the use of body camera-worn system is a tribute not only to Kian delos Santos who died of police abuse in Caloocan City but also to the policemen whose ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty were tainted by claims of extra-judicial killings, planting of evidence and other unfair allegations,” Eleazar said.
He added that a BWC-equipped force will also ensure that there will be no violation in police operating procedures or human rights abuses.
It will also protect PNP personnel from malicious and baseless charges.
He also assured the public that the BWCs are tamper-proof and cannot be manually turned off by policemen wearing them.
“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 said.
He added the BWC System, in support of the S.M.A.R.T. (Secured, Mobile, Artificial-Intelligence driven, Real-time Technology) Policing initiative of the PNP, will allow the PNP Command Center to monitor the actual police operations of all units nationwide.
“The BWC will not only satisfy the requirement of transparency in police operations but, more importantly, capture real-life actions for their evidentiary value in investigation and prosecution,” he said.
Under the “Revised Operational Guidelines and Policies on the Use of Body-Worn Camera”, PNP personnel would use BWCs in anti-Illegal drug operations, except where police operatives act as poseur buyers and perform test-buys; service of search warrant and warrant of arrest; hostage rescue operations; high-risk checkpoint/chokepoint operations; security operations during the implementation of decision/orders of the court, and quasi-judicial or administrative bodies; and security coverage during major events in the country.
The PNP has acquired an initial 2,696 BWCs for the use of personnel in city police stations nationwide. (PNA)
