Queensland Police to receive 5000 body-worn cameras

Queensland Police are set to receive 5000 extra body-worn cameras as part of a new contract arrangement, according to the Queensland Government.

Under the arrangement, all uniformed first responder officers will be equipped with body-worn cameras — increasing the Queensland Police Service’s (QPS) body-worn camera fleet to 7700 devices.

Queensland Minister for Police and Minister for Corrective Services Mark Ryan said body-worn cameras are vital policing tools as they provide an impartial record of events and interactions.

“Body-worn cameras have proven to be beneficial for police officers as they allow officers to improve their response in relation to threats against community safety,” Ryan said.

“This increases transparency of QPS responses and ensures consistency in digital evidence handling procedures.”

The cameras will be high definition and are expected to reduce administrative time for officers redirected to the front line. Additionally, officers won’t have to attend premises to collect footage, freeing up resources, according to the government.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/Rafael Ben-Ari