In my opinion, every police officer, especially the one who is going out to conduct a raid, should be required to wear a camera when leaving the police station. Before going on patrol or a raid, it should be mandatory for the officer to officially record the departure in the station log and attach a body camera.
The cost of such cameras is not very high. A good body camera may cost around 3000 to 4000 rupees, which is not a big expense. Governments are already spending large amounts on improving police station buildings and infrastructure. If resources can be used to renovate police stations, then equipping 50 officers in a station with cameras should not be difficult.
The purpose of these cameras is simple: every action taken by the police should be recorded. For example, if a police officer claims that he arrested a suspect wearing a blue shirt and recovered certain items from him, that exact moment should appear in the camera footage. The video should clearly show the arrest and the recovery process.
If police officers simply start wearing cameras, around 90% of illegal raids and unlawful practices could stop immediately.
Right now, when police conduct a raid, they often seize people’s mobile phones. If there are CCTV cameras installed, they may even take the DVR devices. They take away valuables and sometimes file robbery or recovery cases against the very same people whose belongings were taken. In some situations, those seized items are later shown as “recovered evidence,” and multiple cases are registered to justify the actions.
This creates a system where the victims have no proof of what actually happened.
But in today’s modern world, cameras are everywhere. Ordinary citizens carry cameras in their phones all the time. If a common person can have a camera, why shouldn’t a police officer have one while performing official duties?
Police body cameras should record continuously and preferably live. All recordings should be stored securely so that they cannot be altered or deleted.
When a suspect is presented before a magistrate after an arrest, the process should be transparent. Before even reviewing the FIR, the magistrate should first watch the video evidence of the arrest and recovery. This would ensure that the process was lawful and fair.
There is a famous principle of justice:
“Justice should not only be done, but it should also be seen to be done.”
Body cameras would help make this principle a reality. They would protect innocent citizens from abuse and also protect honest police officers from false allegations.
Even if such a system starts on a small scale, it could gradually transform the entire policing system and restore public trust in law enforcement.