The Hague law enforcement officers are protected by bodycams

All 170 agents will receive one to deter acts of aggression

As of this week, all 170 law enforcement agents in The Hague will start receiving a body camera. This follows a decision by the Board of Mayor and Alderman in the Dutch city, justified by a successful trial period run last year. The purpose of these new devices is to ensure that officers can do their work more safely, as they have proven a powerful way to deter perpetrators caught in the act.

Body cameras: powerful tools in law enforcement

Wearing a bodycam can increase the sense of security of a law enforcement officer and can reduce the aggression and incidents of violence – this is what a trial run by the city authorities of the Hague in 2020 has demonstrated. For this reason, the local authorities decided to equip the entire law enforcement team with such devices.

The body camera is turned on in threatening situations by the agent himself. The images captured can later be used for the creation of a report. A warning like this and the act of being filmed seems like a proven way to make potential aggressors calm down.

Alderman Hilbert Bredemeijer, quoted on the municipal portal, commented on the occasion: "The municipal enforcers monitor the quality of life in our city. They address people, they inform them and warn or fine people who violate the rules. Unfortunately, they also have to deal with indecent people. Calling names, threatening, and sometimes even using violence. That is unacceptable. Our enforcers must be able to do their important work for the city properly and safely. The bodycam helps with this."

Passers-by do not have to worry that they will be filmed by the devices placed on the uniform of the officer. First, they do not record all the time, but only after two warnings are given to the perpetrator.

Second, there are other measures to guarantee privacy, ensure the authorities. For instance, the images are stored encrypted and cannot be viewed or deleted on the spot. A limited number of employees have access to the stored images, kept on a secure server and automatically deleted after 28 days, unless they are required for a report.