PSNI launches action against 74 officers after bodycam arrest footage viewed ‘illegitimately’ nearly 250 times

The news of what has been described as “management action” taken against the officers comes after a Police Ombudsman investigation found that the specific footage had been viewed unofficially almost 250 times.

The clip was described as showing an arrest of a member of the public for possession of illegal drugs, during which the arresting officer made an error while administering a criminal caution, causing a colleague to laugh in the background.

Chief Executive of the Police Ombudsman’s Office, Hugh Hume, said the video “may have been viewed for entertainment and amusement, but the officers who did so showed little regard for the privacy of the man being arrested, nor for the emotional wellbeing of their colleague featured in the video”.

He also highlighted what was described as “the weaknesses in the control of access to body-worn video”, adding that: “There remains a significant residual risk that private and personal data can be accessed without a legitimate…