Since the beginning of May, the Brussels North police zone (Schaerbeek, Saint-Josse-ten-Noode and Evere) has been using bodycams to film interventions.
A test phase with bodycams already happened in early 2021 in the North police zone, which showed that the cameras can help de-escalate some interventions, according to Chief of the North police zone Olivier Slosse.
"With bodycams, our police zone wants to further enhance the professionalism of our interventions and promote their transparency, especially in the event of complaints against the police."
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The cameras can support officers in their daily work and ensure that "the course of an intervention, its context, the dynamics of the interaction, the behaviour of the citizen and the actions taken by the police officers" are captured completely and visibly. The cameras will be distributed to units over the course of the month.
The bodycams must be worn visibly on the officers' bullet-proof vests and are able to make video and audio recordings, as well as record localisation data.
They can be worn by police officers, patrols, patrol supervisors, dog handlers, members of the Transport Security Brigade and the Centralised Traffic Service.
Questions regarding the use of these bodycams by the police officers are answered on the zone's website.
