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Police Scotland has completed the national rollout of body worn video (BWV), with more than 16,000 officers and staff now using the technology across the service.
The final phase went live this week, extending the cameras to specialist officers across Edinburgh, the Lothians and Scottish Borders, Forth Valley and Fife.
The rollout now includes custody staff, roads policing officers, CID, Public Protection Units, dog handlers and the mounted unit. Public Enquiry Support Assistants, Safety Camera Partnership Officers and Firearms and Explosives Licensing Officers will also wear cameras when interacting with the public.
Body worn video has been one of Chief Constable Jo Farrell’s key priorities since taking command in October 2023 and forms part of wider work to modernise Scotland’s justice system and improve the experience of victims.
Chief Inspector Simon Shanks said the cameras are already making a difference for officers, the public and the wider criminal justice process.
“The national rollout of body worn video has been a key priority and it contributes to our vision of safer communities, less crime, supported victims and a thriving workforce.
Since its introduction the cameras and technology are helping to de-escalate incidents, improve public trust in policing and reduce complaints, as well as support officer and staff safety, and bring wider benefits to the criminal justice system.”
Since the technology was introduced, Police Scotland says more than 1.9 million recordings have been captured.
As of 13 September 2026, officers had created more than 112,000 incidents using body worn video, with footage from around 53,000 incidents shared with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) through Scotland’s Digital Evidence Sharing Capability (DESC) system.
Shanks said early feedback suggests officers feel more confident carrying out their duties knowing interactions are recorded and can be used as evidence where required, particularly in cases involving malicious complaints.
He added that the cameras also appear to be helping reduce assaults on officers and de-escalate confrontational situations when people realise their actions are being recorded.
Police Scotland said body worn video will support, rather than replace, existing evidence-gathering procedures. Decisions on whether footage is used as evidence will continue to be made by COPFS on a case-by-case basis.
The force also stressed that the introduction of body worn video is not intended to increase single-officer deployments or change existing policing deployment models across Scotland.
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