Solon says strict implementation of bodycams will avert cover-up during buy-busts
A LAWMAKER called for the mandatory use of body cameras during drug buy-busts, saying a video recording would be “a hard to refute documentation” of the operation and avert attempts at any cover-up.
“Whether the narcotics seized weigh one kilo or one ton, a video recording is the best receipt there is,” Deputy Speaker and Batangas Rep. Ralph G. Recto said on Sunday.
High-ranking police officers were recently linked in an alleged attempt to cover up their involvement in a buy-bust operation last year that yielded 990 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine, known in the Philippines as shabu.
Mr. Recto said authorities should stop relying on lamppost closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage and should obtain footage from “equipment they carry before, during and after the operation.”
The Philippine National Police issued in August 2021 operational guidelines and policies on the use of body-worn cameras during law enforcement activities.
The police guidelines were released after the Supreme Court approved a resolution requiring law enforcers to use at least one body-worn camera and one alternative recording device when serving search and arrest warrants as well as during warrantless arrests. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz
