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THE MASS use of body-worn cameras by law enforcers is a recent trend in various parts of the world. According to the New York Times in October, the majority of large police departments in the United States began using body cams in 2015. Over in London, some 22,000 police officers are supposed to have been issued body cams this year. Last May, it was reported that the Chinese government ordered its “chengguan” – described as its paramilitary police and urban management officers – to wear body cameras in the interest of transparency.
It is high-time for the Philippine National Police (PNP) to also be deployed with body-worn cameras. This will keep them at par with their modern counterparts in other parts of the world who have turned to this technology. This would be a big step toward modernizing our police force, and we are investing big money in it.
Under the 2018 national budget (P3.767-trillion General Appropriations Act), P334 million is allocated for the purchase of body cameras for the police. This is more than 200 percent increase from its initial funding of P100 million. The huge increase is Congress’ response to President Rodrigo Duterte’s personal call for the national police force to show heightened transparency in the continuing war against illegal drugs and criminality. The President’s critics have also called for this.
The national police force will have ample funds for the performance of its duties in 2018. It has been allocated around P131 billion for 2018, which is a P20-billion increase from its 2017 budget. In the final version of the 2018 budget, the Bicameral Conference Committee agreed to augment the Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses of the PNP by P850 million for the operations of police stations nationwide.
Aside from providing the public with more transparency during police operations, body cameras will also serve as a handy tool for the law enforcers themselves. The apparatus will help police in evidence gathering, documentation, and post-operation assessment. There have also been reports from body cam-wearing cops overseas that arrested individuals admit to their offense quicker when they realize that their actions were recorded. It makes the job of the police easier.
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