Freedom of Information Request 241/21
Response date: 9th April 2021
I am wr iting to request information on media appearances by South Wales Police (and preceding agencies) in
a docu
mentary style, such as but not limited to ‘Road Wars’, ‘Police Interceptors’, ‘Brit Cops’ etc, where a
camera person(s) is deployed with police officers and are fol owed throughout their tour of duty. This is for
the tim e period 2003 to present.
1. I would like to know; Name of production, Production Company, Policing Unit(s) / Investigation(s) /
Operation(s) fol owed, Status of Unit (active / disbanded / reformed / reorganized)
2. I would also like to know the current stance on 2021 (ignoring COVID-19) for these types of shows to
be filmed with South Wales Police - are they encouraged?
3. a) If encouraged, are you actively engaged in filming currently, and if so, what production?
b) If not encouraged or banned, is there reasoning behind this, for example a negative
experience/portrayal previously?
4. On a similar line, police forces used to sel dashcam footage as ‘filler’ in these documentary shows,
between their own self shot material. Does South Wales Police sel dashcam, or otherwise make them
available?
RESPO NSE
Questio n 1
We hav e consulted with our Corporate Communications Department who have provided us with the information to
answer your request.
Pleas
e be aware this information is not held for the full period requested; however, we can provide the following
informat ion on police observational TV programme we have taken part in.
2007 – Cops With Cameras – ITV – Swansea/Neath Port Talbot, Priority Policing Teams
2008 -
Traffic Cops – BBC – pan-South Wales, Roads Policing Unit
2015 – Valley Cops – BBC – Rhondda Cynon Taf/Merthyr, various officers
2017 – Code Blue – ITV Wales – pan-South Wales, Major Crime Investigations Team
Continued…
T
HIS IN
FORMATION HAS BEEN PROVIDED IN RESPONSE TO A REQUEST UNDER THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000, AND IS CORRECT
A
ll rights
reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanica
l, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the South Wales Police.
Freedom of Information Request 241/21
Questio ns 2 & 3
We hav e consulted with our Corporate Communications Department who confirm that South Wales Police is not
currentl y engaged in any filming but we are in discussions with a small number of production companies regarding
futur
e projects.
We tak
e into consideration the College of Policing guidance when making decisions on whether to engage with
producti on companies. This is provided below.
The foll owing guidance is contained within the College of Policing Authorised Professional Practice for media which
forces c onsider when deciding on whether to take part in such documentaries:
Non-
exhaustive list of points to consider when taking a documentary request
• Would the filming/recording fit a policing purpose, such as to detect or prevent crime, to promote road safety,
or to reassure the public about police effectiveness?
• Wil the broadcast affect current or future police operations?
• Wil the broadcast cause unjustifiable distress or harassment to those featured?
• Could the broadcast potentially prejudice a trial or interfere with an individual’s human rights, including the
right to privacy, or wil it breach data protection law?
• Wil the broadcast affect or need to involve partner organisations?
• What protection is required for undercover police officers, covert police activity, police tactics and equipment?
• What is the status of the production company and the quality of its previous broadcasts?
• What is the potential commitment (working hours) for members of the workforce, including members of
the Media Dept, to facilitate this request?
• What are the potential copyright issues? Must permission be obtained from third parties to provide any of the
material requested?
Questio n 4
We have consulted with our Corporate Communications and Finance Department who confirm that South Wales
Police does not sel dashcam footage to media companies.
We provide such footage for free and our financial system records support this – there are no transactions in relation
to this.
T
HIS IN
FORMATION HAS BEEN PROVIDED IN RESPONSE TO A REQUEST UNDER THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000, AND IS CORRECT
All rights
reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanica
l, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the South Wales Police.