Motorola Solutions announced that Police Scotland will deploy 10,500 VB400 body cameras to police officers across the country. The police service cites the £13.3 million (~$16 million) investment as a significant step in enhancing transparency, accountability and public safety.
Prior to the procurement, Police Scotland conducted a national public consultation on body camera deployment with 81% of 9,000 responses agreeing that it would increase public confidence in policing.
“The introduction of body worn video will transform policing in Scotland, and a national roll-out is a key priority,” said Jane Connors, Deputy Chief Constable, Police Scotland. “Body worn video can significantly enhance public confidence and support officer and public safety by providing effective and transparent evidence of police and public actions.”
“Body worn video will also improve the quality of evidence presented in court to deliver faster justice for victims by increasing early guilty pleas and reducing time spent at court for victims, witnesses and police officers,” said Connors.
The VB400 reliably captures high-quality video and audio for an objective record of events, helping front-line officers to document incidents and increase trust with the communities they serve. Footage is automatically uploaded to VideoManager for secure storage that is tracked and auditable, protecting the chain of custody so that the police, public and judicial systems can be assured of the integrity of video evidence.
“We are proud to support Police Scotland with its nationwide deployment of the VB400 body camera, an innovative technology solution developed in Scotland that will help to make communities safer,” said Mark Schmidl, senior vice president for International Sales, Motorola Solutions.
Police Scotland joins other U.K. police forces and global law enforcement agencies, including French National Police, Lithuanian National Police and Austrian police forces, that have chosen Motorola Solutions’ body worn camera and evidentiary solutions. Police Scotland also relies on Motorola Solutions' nationwide Airwave emergency services network, TETRA radios and Pronto Digital Policing application.