Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. on Friday explained the artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled body-worn cameras it is procuring will have better image quality.
‘The AI-enabled body cameras will enhance the PNP’s capability to document police operations with clearer and more reliable footage. This will help preserve evidence, support investigations, and promote greater accountability among our personnel,’ Nartatez said in a statement.
‘The new units are expected to have superior lenses and image quality that will make them more suitable for AI processing,’ he noted.
The top cop also detailed that the rollout of the body cameras will be coordinated with the agencies concerned to craft guidelines on the use of its AI features to comply with privacy and evidence-handling requirements.
‘We assure the public that these body cameras will be used to strengthen transparency and accountability in police operations. We will ensure that our personnel use the technology properly and in accordance with existing laws and policies,’ Nartatez maintained.
‘This technology will protect not only the public but also our police officers by providing an objective record of what transpired during police encounters and operations,’ he added.
Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla, during the House of Representatives appropriations committee hearing on his department’s 2027 budget on Thursday, bared that the PNP was in the process of purchasing up to 20,000 new AI-enabled body cameras.
Remulla cited that the PNP currently only had 2,000 body-worn cameras available for the over 230,000-strong police force.
A 2021 Supreme Court issuance required law enforcement officers to use at least one body-worn camera and one alternative recording device in implementing search and arrest warrants