RCIPS to invest in bodycams for frontline officers
(CNS): The RCIPS is hoping that by the end of this year, most frontline police officers, from the traffic unit to the community beat, will be wearing body-worn cameras. Currently, only Firearms Response Unit officers are wearing them full-time, but Police Commissioner Kurt Walton has said the RCIPS will be investing in more technology, and cameras will not only help in the police work, but will reassure the public when they interact with its officers.
Superintendent Roje Williams is the project lead for the RCIPS technology team, which has been tasked with improving the use of technology.
At a recent press conference, he said the RCIPS had been trying out different kinds of bodycams with other units, and the intention is to roll out their use across the service by the end of 2025. Williams said that the issues relating to the rights of citizens and how the officers will use the equipment will all be addressed to ensure its legal use.
The commissioner said that before the rollout of the bodycams, the RCIPS intends to hold another press conference and set out the details of how they would be used. He said that technology is the “direction we are going in” when it comes to making the RCIPS more efficient, and there are a number of projects in the works. But one area where this modernisation of the service will be particularly important is in relation to traffic.
The growing traffic issues are sucking a huge amount of time and resources from the service, and Williams said the first thing to do is acquire hand-held breathalysers, among other equipment, to offset some of the workload for the traffic department. He said the police have now invested heavily in Black Widow Jack stands — equipment that can allow officers to quickly move vehicles from the road in the wake of a collision and speed up the processing at the crash scenes.
Williams said that on average, police response time for a motor vehicle accident is between an hour and an hour and 15 minutes. A lot of that time is because the officers are faced with a damaged vehicle that they can’t push off the roadway. He said the Black Widow Jack will enable officers to temporarily move the vehicle to the side of the road to free up traffic and police time, as it only takes one vehicle to cause a gridlock.
Another technology priority is to get hand-held e-ticket machines. Currently, officers still handwrite all tickets — 7,000 every year — before inputting that information into the system. The ability to electronically record the tickets will free up hours of police time, Williams said.
“We’ve seen around the region where other countries have started to invest heavily in e-ticketing. So… your ticket is issued at the side of the road and within five minutes you’re able to pay it,” he said, noting that other law enforcement agencies that issue tickets for fines will also benefit from switching over to an e-ticketing system.
Walton has said that the investment in technology to modernise the service, making things more efficient and reducing the excessive hours spent on manual tasks, will help the RCIPS manage the growing demands on it for service without having to drastically increase the headcount and mitigate some of the resource challenges across the service.
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Can we have these in place before a certain individual crashes for a 3rd time? I would love to have seen footage of the “sober” individual from the last two crashes. This would have cleared up a few unanswered questions. I mean, we all know what the answers are but hey…..
Stiff fines and/or jail time should be established for officers who turn off their cameras or knowlingly obstruct the camera with deliberate and unnatural hand placement.
How about making OUR cameras eligible for police evidence!?!!
Money well spent….
Like the traffic cameras, these will be more government cameras that don’t work.
It would seem to make more sense to simply buy them and use them, than to “invest” in them. Is the price of bodycams expected to increase by a significant amount making such an “investment” worthwhile? Or is this part of a larger speculative strategy, given that “the RCIPS will be investing in more technology”? Who knew that they would be building out an investment portfolio instead of spending money to buy things?
Black widow will be widowed in two weeks.
if used properly..this spells bad news for the incompetent police farce…
On and off switch salvation.
Now this is progress! Surely taxi meters can’t be far behind.
Imagine if there were GPS app time lapse tracking of available licensed taxis, PTU buses, and police cars of where they were during shift…what that map scribble would actually look like…technology from 20 years ago.
The first taxi meters were introduced in the 1890s. Yet Cayman can’t seem to get there. We all know why.
About time this is done.
A few years ago Mr.10% would have seen to it , after having first secured the agency.
Get another dozen for the evidence lockup room.
Can we get body cams for employees of CIG and MPs so we can see what they’re actually up to all day?
A sure fire way to stop the maniacs and assholes on these roads!
Being able to clear wreckage from the road in preparation for the next crash will certainly improve road safety.
Why are we like that this?!
If they get them or don’t get them, we criticize. Why are we so quick to tear down or minimize any and every achievement? What is wrong with us? 🤔
Yes please!!!! Finally the court can see how these idiots react! I once criticised a cop and he said my words constituted a breach of the peace (I didn’t use foul language) and he threatene to arrest me. It’s a total 3rd world territory here.
yup they need them so they can see the inadequacy and unprofessionalism that these “officers” portray and their inability to react or handle to different situations and persons.
I really hoped you told him arrest you for what and you can say whatever you want regardless on how he feels or if you hurt his little feelings.
Body cam won’t make them literate professional or provide any sort of reasonable customer service though will it. RCIPS is still trying to claw its way back from the ridiculous Byrne regime which now sees them going backwards 20 yrs.
Let’s see how often they are turned off by ‘accident’ LOL.
So we can see them texting and driving? So we can see them not doing their jobs? Also how about investing in dash cams for them too so we can see how terrible they be driving.
What is the status of the RFID readers?
What will they record, the inside of their patrol cars while they cruise around ignoring the rules of the road?
Their desktops and dominos tournaments.
I know of officers who have bought their own. It’s disgusting that this has even been a thing.
There’s been bodycams and dashcams in use around the world for many years, we’re so backwards!
Of course, if you drive any vehicle here with a dashcam, it’s honestly tragic how much stupidity you catch. Let’s hope this causes traffic prosecutions to go up.
This Cayman, we always behind.
LOOOL camana bay security guards got body cameras before our Royal police
Yeah. Amazing what innovation occurs when you work for a billionaire, right?
CIG rakes in billions, shame they piss it all up against a wall.
a wall that will also be crashed into by a drunk driver.
Who is an MP
CIG “revamped” town for 5 years plus bought and installed lights where has no one in it after 6pm
CIG approved a multi million dollar school for the brac where like 2,000 people reside (75% of which are old)
CIG pays for all the ministers to be driven around in fancy cars, fed grub and given a travel allowance all while they are on ungodly big paychecks
CIG has money lol thats definitely not the issue here
cayman…on a slow road to yesterday…..zzzzzzzzzzzzzz
The land that time forgot!
Yet to so many immigrants it is unforgettable, and despite all its shortcomings, said immigrants will fight tooth and nail to remain here. How shitty must things actually be back home?
yep…15 years too late…but better late than never maybe….
ever wonder why the national symbol is a turtle?????
But any footage of John John stumbling out of his vehicle will no doubt be inexplicably wiped.
Body cam you aint seen nuttin!
😂😂😂😂….fo sho bredda