Gunsan police to introduce 'body cameras'

By Kim Rahn

Police officers in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, will wear body cameras as part of efforts to record crime scenes and use footage as evidence.

The Gunsan Police said Monday that four stations in the city have adopted the camera system, the first of its kind in Korea.

A body camera is a video camera attached to an officer’s uniform. Officers can use the camera to record scenes of assault or theft, and then use the footage as evidence.

In controversial cases where police conduct is called into question, the footage can also be used as evidence.

Officers at the police substations will wear the camera when they deal with domestic violence, disturbances by drunken people, chase suspects, or are mobilized to disaster scenes. They believe the cameras will help them more easily deal with suspects who use violence to officers or other people.

“Suspects who are drunk or lose their temper often resist violently or even wield weapons even though we are doing our job under legal procedures,” a Gunsan Police official said. “We’ll be able to prevent such behavior if we let these people know in advance that their acts are being video recorded.”

Regarding concerns over privacy infringement, the police said they would let people at the crime scenes know they are recording in advance and discard footage that is not used as evidence.

“We’ll adopt more cameras if the system proves effective,” the official said.