Implementation of body worn cameras: Rapid review of current research and practice

This report provides a review of recent research and literature on the implementation and use of body worn cameras (BWCs) to address the issues of occupational violence (OV) and workplace health and safety (WHS) among frontline emergency service workers in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.
The extensive review of the literature and current research found that while there has been much written about the role out and implementation of BWCs in policing, there has been significantly less focus on paramedics or ambulance services.
Research and evaluations that have been undertaken in policing or ambulance services have tended to be internal reviews, with very few independent, external studies, and even fewer peer review processes.
Studies in policing have focussed on a broad range of factors including Integrity and community trust, complaints handling, use of force/violence by police officers, crime levels, evidence for criminal trials and streamlining procedural justice. However there has been limited focus on the impact of BWC on OV towards officers or WHS including physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing.