Petition Mandate Body Worn Cameras for all Victoria Police Members

The petition of certain citizens of the State of Victoria draws to the attention of the Legislative Council that the inconsistent use of body worn cameras by Victorian Police can reduce transparency and accountability, affect public confidence, and hinder the fair investigation of complaints involving police conduct. Victoria currently has no legislative requirement that operational police consistently wear and activate body worn cameras during interactions with the public.

The petitioners therefore request that the Legislative Council call on the Government to introduce legislation, named 'Janarra Law', requiring all operational Victoria Police personnel to wear an approved body worn camera while on duty, activate the camera before any interaction with a member of the public where reasonably practicable, keep the camera recording until the interaction has concluded, document all failures to record with reasons, and establish independent auditing and appropriate enforcement to ensure compliance.