Tomorrow (Friday 28th October) will see Sussex Police using mobile video service Bambuser for non-stop, live streaming of their activities all day. The video broadcasts will start at 6am using mobile phones & laptops and will run for 24 hours.
The ‘day in the life of Sussex Police’ will be broadcast live on the force’s website. There’ll be regular updates from the Chief Constable along with a view of activities from car and foot patrols.
Martin Richards, Chief Constable of Sussex Police, said “The technical side is interesting, but what’s most important is how this will help us speak and listen to local people in the best ways possible. We’re making innovative use of technology, but not at the expense of other effective methods. It’s a time of extraordinary change for policing, with important questions being asked nationally about the transparency and accountability of police forces. We will show the public aspects of policing that they might not know about, and offer new ways for them to share their views with us, through a personal window on the thoughts, feelings and experiences of our police officers and staff.”
The aim is to broadcast the everyday challenges faced by Sussex Police, although some live streams may have to occasionally be cut or muted for legal reasons.
Last year Manchester police used Twitter to detail every incident they dealt with over 24 hours. The public will be able to join in this digital experiment as well by using the hashtag #SPPlive on Twitter.