‘How can you capture what is hidden?’ Police body-worn cameras and coercive control

Abstract

In December 2015, the criminal offence of coercive control was introduced in England and Wales. Occurring at a similar time was the increased widespread usage of police body-worn cameras (BWCs) in domestic abuse cases, with many UK based police forces and international jurisdictions, such as Australia and the US, encouraging their mandatory usage. Using empirical data gathered in one police force area in the south of England, this article examines the extent to which coercive control is able to be captured by BWCs, exploring police officer and victim/survivor perceptions and experiences. The findings highlight concerns with the extent to which BWCs are able to capture the hidden nature of coercive control and the ways in which the footage could have unintended consequences for victim/survivors, particularly minoritised women.Key messagesBWCs are able to capture what is ‘visible’, however, coercive control is mostly ‘invisible’.Police officers viewed BWC footage as a way of ‘covering their backs’ in domestic abuse cases, particularly when victim/survivors did not want to pursue a prosecution. This leads to questions as to whose interests are being served by the increased mandatory usage of BWCs in domestic abuse cases.Victim/survivors voiced concerns with how women are able to represent themselves on camera in coercive control cases, often leading to unintended consequences for those women who do not present as ‘ideal victims’.