The Ministry of the Interior on May 26 launched a project to test portable cameras for officers of the National Patrolling Inspectorate on duty. From today, five police officers will carry these cameras fixed on the uniform during a month to determine their efficiency, IPN reports.
Minister of the Interior Dorin Recean told a news conference that the citizens will be warned that they are being filmed. The recordings will be used as evidence in the event of a conflict between the police and the culprit.
Deputy head of the Ministry’s Information Technology Service Dan Chirita said these cameras will allow monitoring the acts of the citizens and of the patrolling inspectors.
In a month, the system will be extended. A camera and the transmitter cost about US$300. The cameras will be connected when the police officer will be on duty and will be disconnected during lunchtime.
Gheorghe Spanu, one of the five police officers who will carry the camera, said the system is welcome. “Now all the moves will be recorded and the recordings will be used as evidence, including in court, if necessary. In many cases, we were attacked when we legally used physical force and the special means. These acts were interpreted as torture,” he stated.
If the project turns out to be efficient, the cameras will be purchased with money from the state budget and from projects and with grants.
