COPS deployed at checkpoints in areas under strict quarantine rules are among the first to use body-worn cameras in the country to ensure that they will be “courteous at all times” and for their protection against accusations of abuse.
“Our personnel on the ground have been dealing with a large number of people on a daily basis since Day One of the ECQ (enhanced community quarantine) on Aug. 6,” police chief Guillermo Lorenzo T. Eleazar said in a news release on Monday.
“These body-worn cameras will serve as the constant reminder for them to be courteous at all times and at the same time, their protection against claims and allegations of abuses,” he said.
The cameras were first used on Monday by police officers stationed at quarantine checkpoints set up around the capital region Metro Manila.
The use of the cameras are monitored by technical experts at the Philippine National Police Command Center in Quezon City through live video feeds.
“Through real-time videos that we capture at various borders of Metro Manila including traffic situations at QCPs (Quarantine Control Points), commanders are assisted for any security adjustments, and it is also quickly communicated to our personnel for immediate implementation,” Mr. Eleazar said.
The rules on the use of body-worn cameras in serving search and arrest warrants, promulgated by the Supreme Court, took effect on July 31.
As of June 4, Mr. Eleazar said the police had a total of 2,696 body-worn cameras, and 600 cops have so far been trained to use the gadgets. — Bianca Angelica D. Añago