A plan to automatically activate body-worn cameras when New South Wales police officers draw Tasers or guns has been delayed indefinitely, despite the force receiving nearly $100m in funding for the equipment more than a year ago.
Guardian Australia can reveal the program to introduce equipment that prompts cameras to automatically begin recording when weapons are drawn, which was funded by the then-Coalition government in 2022, has yet to materialise.
NSW police’s use of force has been under increased scrutiny after the deaths of Clare Nowland, Steve Pampalian, Jesse Deacon and Krista Kach – four vulnerable people who were shot or Tasered by officers in as many months.
Pampalian was shot dead in his driveway in North Willoughby in May. Police said they fired four shots at the 41-year-old as he ran towards them holding two large knives. They did not have their body-worn cameras turned on.
This week, police sought to explain the delay in linking the use of weapons with body-worn cameras, saying the new Taser model – Taser 7 – that was rolled out across the state during the first half of 2023 did not have an integrated camera.
Instead, the force said it had approached the market to develop a holster that automatically switches on the camera when a weapon is drawn.
“Tasers with integrated cameras are no longer available; as such NSWPF put a tender out for companies to develop a holster activation device which is designed to enable the BWV to turn on when the Taser or firearm is drawn,” the spokesperson said.
“This process is in the trial phase; once the trial and procurement is complete, the devices will also be rolled out to operational police.”
Public records show NSW police put out an “invitation to respond” in January seeking feedback from companies that could design a range of devices including the holster activation devices as well as body-worn cameras themselves.
Asked about the delay, the police minister, Yasmin Catley, refused to comment. Her spokesperson said every critical incident investigation run by police was overseen by the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission.
The former police minister and opposition police spokesperson, Paul Toole, said Catley needed to set out a clear timeline for the activation technology, describing the current situation as “archaic”.
“Every second counts when police find themselves regularly in dangerous situations and they shouldn’t have to be worrying about stopping and turning on a camera,” he said.
“These activation devices need to be installed as quickly as possible.”
Earlier this week, Guardian Australia revealed police were looking at alternatives to the Pacer program designed to better respond to mental health incidents, despite the scheme being lauded by government ministers.
Asked about the police plan to replace the scheme, the premier, Chris Minns, said: “The initial reports from pacer are encouraging and we’re not walking away from it.”
The program, which is still in a pilot phase, is funded until 2025 but did not receive further funding in this week’s state budget.
The NSW Greens are pushing for a parliamentary inquiry into police responses to vulnerable people after the recent string of deaths. Kach died in Newcastle last week after a police officer shot her with a “bean bag round” that penetrated her chest and hit her heart.
Greens justice spokesperson, Sue Higginson, said she was alarmed that NSW police had “reduced transparency” around the use of potentially deadly weapons.
“We are seeing vulnerable people killed by police and the public has a right to know exactly what happened in each of these incidents,” she said.
Kach was also shot with a Taser. Both tasers and bean bag rounds are intended to be “non lethal”. The police have since announced a review of bean bag rounds and suspended their use.
Earlier in the year, Nowland, a 95-year-old woman, died after she was allegedly Tasered by police in her nursing home in Cooma in the state’s south.
Constable Kristian White has been charged with recklessly causing grievous bodily harm, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and common assault.
