Up to $211 million for police cameras

< /p> UPDATE DAY

The deployment of portable cameras could cost up to $211 million per year, according to the recommendations report of the Quebec Ministry of Public Security.

If the Ministry of Public Security (MSP) decides to go ahead with the project to equip certain police services with portable cameras in Quebec, the cost could vary from $22 million to $211 million per year. < /p>

This is what we can learn from the report consisting of eight recommendations on the use of portable cameras in Quebec, which has just been made public by the ministry. 

According to this report, three scenarios containing situations to be filmed have been formulated in order to evaluate the annual costs: 

• police arrest, the interception of a vehicle following a an offence, police intervention with risk of serious injury or death, and use of force: $22,477,085
• the addition of situations in flagrante delicto: $32,436,530
• all interventions between citizens and police officers: $211,288,403.

For the purposes of the analysis, the costs are those attributed to equipment, police organizations, the Center National Video Processing Center, for the Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions (DPCP) and for the Quebec Ministry of Justice (MJQ). 

Use not conclusive< /p>

Also according to the report, the pilot project that the SPVM had set up in 2015 – 2016 did not yield the expected results.

“The experience of the pilot project has not made it possible to demonstrate unequivocally that portable cameras promote the transparency of police interventions and consolidate the bond of trust between the police officer and the citizen, as well as the safety of the police officers”, can we read in the report. 

As for the judicial system, the report also highlights several negative impacts on the judicial system, in particular the need to resort to legislative changes, the complete absence of technological alignment and the increase in the workload. < /p>

At the level of the Sûreté du Québec, the conclusions are not yet known, but the report provides a preliminary analysis.

“The use of portable cameras did not lead to significant drop in the volume of patrol officers having used force”, is it written in the report.

It is also indicated that they have not led to a significant drop in the number of complaints recorded against police officers.

The eight recommendations:

< p>1- Establish unique and uniform rules of governance throughout Quebec;

2- Make the use of a technological solution and a single model of portable camera mandatory for the all Quebec police forces;

3- Deploy portable cameras according to a progressive plan over time;

4- Schedule deployment according to pre-established criteria;

5- Establish uniform and universal operational procedures for the use of portable cameras applicable to all police officers equipped with a portable camera;

6- Establish a selection of events that must be subject to the activation of the camera and see to its progressive application according to the hypothesis adopted;

7- Create a Center national video processing system in order to ensure the uniform processing of videos and the linkages necessary for the administration of justice;

8- Align the deployment with the technological evolution of the administration of justice the end of which is scheduled for the spring of 2025.

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