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BPHA trials new body camera to help protect staff
Housing association BPHA has revealed that it is trialling a new “innovative” type of body-worn video to help protect its frontline staff.
The 18,000-home landlord, which operates across the Oxford-Cambridge corridor, has had four staff testing the ID Pro device, made by SoloProtect, since November.
It comes after exclusive Inside Housing research last year revealed a 10% jump in assaults on frontline housing staff.
Unlike traditional body cameras, the ID Pro nestles in an ID badge but is only activated to capture video images if an incident occurs, BPHA said.
Video is then streamed directly to SoloProtect and stored in the cloud instead of on the individual unit.
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Asked whether BPHA will be taking on the system permanently, a spokesperson for the landlord said: “It is currently being evaluated – hence the trial – but user feedback is positive.”
They added that the cost of the technology will be confirmed once the trial completes next month.
Matthew Hunt, health, safety and environment officer at BPHA, said that the safety of its staff is “paramount”.
He said: “Adding video as another level of safety makes perfect sense and is something that I expect to benefit us hugely.”
Craig Swallow, managing director at SoloProtect, said: “When we started developing the ID Pro, we always wanted comprehensive safety of the individual lone worker to be at the heart of the product’s functionality.
“We believe the product delivers this, and it’s great to be able to deliver a device that can significantly speed up alarm verification and get the best possible response for the user.”
Inside Housing’s research on the issue revealed 2,006 reported instances of abuse among 25,519 staff – a rate of 7.9 assaults for every 100 staff member. This was a rise of 11.3% from the previous year, when 1,636 assaults were reported among 23,199 staff – a rate of 7.1 in every 100.
