PETALING JAYA: The authorities should put in place standard operating procedures (SOP) for body-worn cameras (body cams) and use them to provide evidence to address contentious issues with the public, said Universiti Sains Malaysia criminologist Datuk Dr P. Sundramoorthy.

He was commenting on a recent video on social media that showed the first batch of Road Transport Department (RTD) enforcement officers using body cams during traffic operations.

“The video recording would help increase transparency and accountability by law enforcement personnel and could prevent or de-escalate volatile situations involving the public.

“It also helps in evidence-gathering with witnesses and victims and minimises allegations of misconduct. There must be policies and SOP, which clearly state when a body cam must be activated or deactivated and other do’s and don’ts,” he told theSun.

Sundramoorthy said there are some drawbacks with the use of body cams as it may discourage the public from stepping forward as witnesses in a case as they may fear exposing their identity.

A senior RTD spokesman said body cams were recently acquired for the department and its use would protect its officers and the public from defamation or disputes that might arise during traffic operations.

The spokesman said the body cams will only be activated by enforcement officers when they are interacting with road users.

Aside from the RTD, other enforcement agencies that are to be fully equipped with body cams include the police, Customs, City Hall and the Health Department.

Last month, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the government has allocated RM30 million for body cams for the police force and will expedite the acquisition of the devices.

Former inspector-general of police (IGP) Tan Sri Musa Hassan said the government should expedite acquiring body cams for the police force as it was long overdue and essential to ensure the duties of the police are carried out smoothly and orderly.

Musa said the police had sought to equip its personnel with body cams 15 years ago but it never materialised.

“It has to be done at the soonest if we want to see improvements in the police force.

In 2007, when I was the IGP, I made a request to the government for the body cams but it was never fulfilled.

“I had sought a body cam model that has a sensor in it and switched on automatically when a policeman interacts with a person.

“This way, it cannot be tampered with and every encounter between police and the public will be recorded,” he told theSun.

However, Musa said he came up with a pilot project to have about 40 police patrol cars in the Klang Valley fitted with cameras in the front of the vehicle.

“It was very successful. Any person or vehicle stopped by patrolmen had to be at the front of the patrol car and the camera would record the whole interaction.

“When the patrol car returned to base, an officer would remove a memory card with the recording from the camera and keep it in storage for at least three months.

“Unfortunately, the project did not go full-scale as the government did not have the budget to finance it.”

This article first appeared on TheSun Daily.