Body-Worn Camera Training for Local Authority Staff

Learning outcomes

On completing the course, participants should be able to:

• Explain the purpose and limitations of body-worn cameras within their organisation.
• Apply their local authority’s body-worn camera policy and standard operating procedures.
• Exercise informed judgement about when a body-worn camera should be activated and deactivated.
• Recognise when recording is necessary and proportionate to its approved purpose.
• Understand the main privacy, transparency and data protection responsibilities associated with recording.
• Respond appropriately to aggressive or threatening behaviour while prioritising personal safety.
• Complete the required incident report accurately after an incident.
• Follow organisational procedures for storing, retaining, accessing and sharing footage.
• Recognise when footage may need to be preserved for a complaint, investigation or legal proceeding.
• Understand the requirements that may apply when footage is requested by a law enforcement authority.
• Apply their knowledge to realistic local authority scenarios.

Course content

Purpose and use of body-worn cameras

• The purpose of body-worn cameras within the participating local authority.
• Body-worn cameras as part of wider employee safety arrangements.
• Deterring violence and aggression towards public-facing staff.
• The benefits and limitations of body-worn cameras.
• The responsibilities of camera wearers, managers and staff handling footage.

Legislative and data protection framework

• The distinction between body-worn camera use by An Garda Síochána and by local authorities.
• The Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) Act 2023, as amended, and why it does not provide the legislative basis for local-authority use.
• The General Data Protection Regulation.
• The Data Protection Act 2018.
• Article 6 of the GDPR and the need for an identified lawful basis.
• Processing that is necessary for a task carried out in the public interest or under official authority.
• The Local Authorities (Traffic Wardens) Acts 1975 to 2023, where relevant.
• The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Acts 2005 to 2014.
• Necessity, proportionality, transparency, accountability and data minimisation.
• The importance of a documented purpose and Data Protection Impact Assessment.

Case studies and group discussion.

• Applying the local authority’s policy to realistic scenarios.
• Deciding whether and when camera activation is appropriate.
• Deciding when recording should stop.
• Considering staff safety, necessity, proportionality and privacy.
• Identifying the correct incident reporting process.
• Considering how footage should be retained, accessed or disclosed.
• Discussing increasingly complex situations and receiving feedback from the trainer.

The case studies are completed through facilitated group discussion rather than role-play. Scenarios may involve the threat or use of violence and are adapted to the work undertaken by participants.

Who should attend

This course is suitable for:

• Local authority employees who have been issued with body-worn cameras.
• Employees who are preparing to use body-worn cameras.
• Traffic wardens or community wardens where cameras form part of their authorised duties.
• Other local authority officers who may be authorised to wear body-worn cameras in the future.
• Section heads and line managers responsible for body-worn camera users.
• Staff responsible for accessing, reviewing, storing, retaining or sharing footage.
• Other relevant employees with responsibilities under the local authority’s body-worn camera procedures.

The course is not automatically relevant to every warden, enforcement officer or authorised officer. Participants should be directly involved in wearing body-worn cameras or handling the resulting footage.

Prerequisites

No previous legal or data protection knowledge is required.

Participants who will wear a camera should ideally have completed practical training on the operation of their local authority’s particular equipment before attending. This allows the course to focus on decision-making, policy application, safety, reporting and footage management.

Tailored in-house delivery.

This course is delivered as an in-house programme for individual local authorities.

Before the course, the trainer will review relevant documents supplied by the local authority. These should include:

• The body-worn camera policy.
• The body-worn camera privacy notice.
• The standard operating procedures.
• The Data Protection Impact Assessment.
• Relevant project or implementation information.
• Footage storage, retention, access and sharing procedures.
• The incident reporting procedure and incident report form.

The workbook, course content and case studies will then be adapted to the local authority’s policies and operational requirements.

Documents must be supplied sufficiently far in advance to allow time for review and preparation.