South Yorkshire Police refers itself to ICO over loss of BWV footage
South Yorkshire Police has referred itself to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) after the force noticed a “significant and unexplained” loss of body-worn video (BWV) data stored on its systems.
Aug 23, 2023
By Paul Jacques
It said “urgent work”, led by digital forensic experts, is underway to recover the BWV footage recorded by officers between July 2020 and May 2023.
Approximately 69 cases have been identified as potentially affected by the loss of data and the force said it was working closely with the victims and the Crown Prosecution Service.
The data includes footage filmed by officers as they attend an incident or engage with the public, which in some cases can be used in evidence in both criminal and civil proceedings.
Assistant Chief Constable Rick Alton said: “I am deeply sorry this has occurred and after we became aware of the loss in data, we notified the ICO and began work to attempt to recover it.
“We’ve had a team of people working around the clock to manually check each case currently within the criminal justice system.
“We’ve brought in digital forensics specialists to explore how this data loss occurred and to establish if the data can be recovered. We will provide an update concerning this when further work has been undertaken.
“Whilst we remain hopeful, there are no guarantees, so it’s important the victims and the wider public are informed.”
South Yorkshire police and crime commissioner Dr Alan Billings said: “I have been made aware of a loss of data from the force’s storage systems and the work that is taking place to recover the data.
“There may be implications for victims and witnesses and the wider criminal justice system as some of this footage may be evidence in upcoming court cases. The force is working through the implications and direct contact is being made with those affected.
“This incident is disappointing and concerning and the police need to understand quickly what has happened and why.
“I have been briefed by the deputy chief constable and will continue to receive updates as the work continues to recover the data.
“I will also be seeking a full explanation as to how this incident occurred and what measures will be put in place to prevent it happening again.”
