De Wever calls for approval of bodycams for police
Antwerp’s mayor has asked parliament to approve nation-wide use of body cameras to avoid confusion in the wake of the Borgerhout incident last week
City approval already allowed
Following the episode in the district of Borgerhout, footage was obtained from both security cameras and local residents, none of which shows any violence perpetrated by the small crowd that had gathered to watch.
Police said that the images did not give a complete picture of the incident. According to De Wever, bodycams would provide an accurate record of events and avoid similar disputes.
The federal government has a law ready to allow the use of bodycams in limited circumstances, home affairs minister Jan Jambon said. The use of the cameras would be authorised only during a police intervention and would require the public to be informed that the cameras were operating.
The proposal is currently before the Council of State for their opinion, after which it has to be voted on by parliament. Local councils, however, can already approve the use of bodycams for their own cities, at their own expense.
The cameras are already in use, for instance, in Mechelen, following an incident in 2010. “The bodycam is not standard issue for our officers, but we regularly use them for interventions where they offer some value,” a police spokesperson said. “They are used during interventions where heated discussion might be expected, such as bar disputes.”
The police union VSOA is not in favour of the use of bodycams, which can cost up to €1,000 per unit. The cameras, a union spokesperson said, is just another means of spying on officers facing difficult situations.
“They’re trying to reverse the burden of proof,” said the spokesperson. “Police are being forced to prove their innocence using the recorded images. It’s unworthy of the rule of law.”
