National roll out of body worn video reaches halfway point as the cameras are rolled out in the capital in preparation for bonfire night

Police Scotland’s national roll out of body worn video reaches its halfway point as officers with the new devices are on duty in Scotland’s capital city.

From Wednesday, 22 October 2025, officers in Edinburgh as well as the Lothians and Borders will be on duty using the new devices.

Around 1,800 officers, including road policing officers and dog handlers, will be equipped with the new devices over the coming weeks.

For the first time body worn video cameras will be used to capture footage of violence and disorder around Halloween and Bonfire Night.

Deputy Chief Constable Jane Connors said: “The national roll out of the body worn video cameras is a key priority for us and is one of the ways that we can work towards our vision of safer communities, less crime and to support the safety of our officers.

“As Halloween and Bonfire Night approaches having officers on the streets with the capability to record audio and visual evidence can and should act as a deterrent to those considering engaging in criminal activity.

“Investigations into fireworks-related crimes can and will continue following Bonfire Night and anyone who commits an offence will be pursued and body worn video footage will aid those investigations.”

With the whole of the east of Scotland now using body worn video this marks a key milestone since the project which got underway in Tayside in late March 2025.

Since its introduction in March 2025, over 140,000 recordings have been captured by the devices with almost 32,000 hours of footage uploaded of which over 8,500 media files have been exported to our digital evidence sharing system, DESC.

Justice Secretary Angela Constance said: “I welcome this important milestone in the national roll-out of body worn video, which can increase public confidence in policing and improve safety for officers and staff. It can also benefit victims and witnesses of crime by allowing cases to be brought to court sooner.

“The Scottish Government’s record investment in policing is enabling the rollout of this transformational technology, which is supported by our world-leading £33 million initiative for sharing digital evidence from crime scene to court room.”

During this first phase of the body worn video roll out more than 10,500 Home Office approved Motorola Solutions VB400 cameras are being issued to frontline officers from constable to inspector ranks, and to police custody staff, across the country.

The equipment can help 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.

DCC Connors added: “The technology will also improve the quality of evidence presented in court to deliver faster justice for victims by increasing early guilty pleas and reducing time spent at court for victims, witnesses and police officers.

“Body worn video can significantly enhance public confidence and support officer and public safety by providing effective and transparent evidence of police and public interactions.

"There is strong public and partner support for body worn video in Scotland and we will continue to explain our use of this important technology including assurance around data privacy and human rights considerations."

Body worn video will be rolling out into the west of Scotland in early 2026 as the number of officers using the devices increases.