Great enthusiasm for body cameras among public order offices in North Rhine-Westphalia (Blankenburg (Harz), 10 October 2023) In North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), there is growing enthusiasm for the use of body cameras by municipal public order services (KOD). The increasing number of threats and physical attacks against public order officers has led to more and more public order offices in NRW equipping their municipal field staff with body cameras. The legally compliant use of the cameras was made possible by an amendment to the NRW Public Order Authority Act in July 2022.
The increasing propensity for violence among the population has shifted the focus to the protection of employees. Body cameras offer KOD field staff safety in their everyday work and help to de-escalate critical (conflict) situations. The cameras thus prevent violence and deter potential perpetrators.
NetCo equips numerous public order offices with body cameras. Duisburg was one of the first municipalities in North Rhine-Westphalia to initially test the NetCo body camera and then use it across the board. Thorsten Bleckmann, head of the municipal field service at the Citizens’ and Public Order Office in Duisburg, reported in an interview: “We have found that the cameras already have a de-escalating effect in many conversations with citizens, even without being switched on.”
Other KODs have also experienced this effect. In addition to Duisburg, the municipal public order service in the city of Herne has been testing the NetCo body cam since this year. The aim of the one-year test phase is to improve the safety of field staff. The city of Herne particularly appreciates the camera’s ease of use and large front display, which helps to de-escalate tense situations.
In Moers, too, field staff in the traffic monitoring department of the municipal public order service have been equipped with NetCo body cams. This step was taken in response to an attack on a female employee. During a successful four-week pilot phase during the summer months, there were no body cam recordings because the cameras were able to de-escalate critical situations at an early stage. Moers is now planning to implement the cameras on a permanent basis.
Another town currently testing NetCo body cameras in a twelve-month pilot phase is Olfen. In addition, the towns of Witten, Wetter and Gummersbach have also recently started test runs in which several employees have been equipped with body cameras.
The city of Krefeld has also decided to equip its law enforcement officers with body cameras. Measures had already been taken to increase employee safety, including increasing staffing levels and purchasing stab-proof safety vests to be better prepared for problematic situations and to offer employees greater protection.
It is to be expected that other local authorities will endeavour to launch pilot phases with body cameras, which have been proven to have a de-escalating effect, in the foreseeable future. The focus here is on the safety and protection of law enforcement officers in order to ensure a safe working environment.