Tenders for the purchase of portable cameras in police uniforms to record any serious incident on the streets or during operations will be announced soon.
According to a study conducted, in the first phase, more than a thousand body cameras will be purchased which will be made available to front-line police officers, i.e. uniformed personnel who come into daily contact with the people. It is expected that the cost of the system will amount to around €2 million. since this will also include the software in which what will be recorded will be recorded in order to be processed.
The Ministry of Justice and Public Order moved quickly after the law was passed by the Parliament last March, so that cameras are another weapon to combat illegality and so that the actions of police officers by citizens are not questioned, but also to avoid any cases of arbitrariness of police officers against citizens.
The technical terms of the offer are, according to information from "F", ready and soon the relevant documents will be sent through the usual procedure so that the project can be tendered. It is expected to clarify whether the Police will proceed with the announcement of another offer that will concern vests in which the cameras will be installed or whether they will be applied to the existing ones.
It is estimated that the police officers before going down the streets with the cameras on their chests will be properly trained, while it is their obligation, which derives from the legislation, that before the camera is activated, the citizen will be warned.
According to our same information, at a later stage, the Police will proceed with the purchase of other cameras to cover all police officers of the departments who carry out checks or who come into contact with people in the context of investigations or dealing with events.
According to the legislation, the Police have the right to install cameras in their vehicles with or without insignia to record any chase, or incidents that occur on the roads. According to the provisions of the law, the activation of a portable camera and its use to capture and record audio and image is allowed only in the following cases:
Arrest and/or search of a person.
Pursuit of any person or means of transport.
Objection of a person or means of transport for an investigation, including the conduct thereof, and for the reporting of any offense in violation of any law of the Republic.
Entering a place for research, including conducting it.
Attendance of members of the Police at the scene of the commission of an offense.
Riots and mass episodes of violence.
According to the legislation, conducting high-risk operations means a situation that is reasonably considered dangerous, unsettled, unpredictable or fragile, which include, among others, a terrorist incident, kidnapping, armed robbery, shootout, riot suppression, rioting, mass incidents of violence, execution of orders, etc.
In addition, according to the regulations, in order for the capture and recording of material by portable cameras to be considered legal, the following conditions must be met, among others:
-Information, whenever possible, immediately after the activation of the portable camera, both of the person for whom it was activated and of any other person who enters the field of reception and recording of the audiovisual material, while the portable camera is in operation.
-Use of portable cameras that emit a light signal, so that their operation is visually perceptible to the public.
-Indication of the day, time and place of the member of the Police who activates the portable camera immediately after its activation and immediately after its termination.
As far as the destruction of audiovisual material is concerned, this will be done when it is found that it is not related to and/or does not assist the investigation or prosecution of any offense. At the same time, safeguards are put in place so that in case a request is submitted for the preservation of audiovisual material for its use in civil judicial proceedings, it will be preserved for a longer period of time. Camera footage can be used in criminal or disciplinary proceedings.
-Use of portable cameras that emit a light signal, so that their operation is visually perceptible to the public.
-Indication of the day, time and place of the member of the Police who activates the portable camera immediately after its activation and immediately after its termination.
As far as the destruction of audiovisual material is concerned, this will be done when it is found that it is not related to and/or does not assist the investigation or prosecution of any offense. At the same time, safeguards are put in place so that in case a request is submitted for the preservation of audiovisual material for its use in civil judicial proceedings, it will be preserved for a longer period of time. Camera footage can be used in criminal or disciplinary proceedings.
