South Yorkshire Police data loss: Body cam video data goes missing and could affect court cases (cloned)

'Video data' from South Yorkshire Police body cameras has gone missing - with concerns it could affect court cases.

The force has referred itself to the Information Commissioner's Office after a 'significant and unexplained' reduction in data stored on its systems was noticed, and police commissioner Alan Billings has described the data loss as 'disappointing and concerning'.

The data includes footage filmed by officers as they attend an incident or engage with the public, and in some cases this can be used in evidence in both criminal and civil proceedings.

Police said urgent work, led by digital forensic experts, was underway to recover data of body worn video footage recorded by officers between July 2020 and May 2023.

Approximately 69 cases have been identified as potentially affected by the loss of data and police bosses say they are working closely with the victims and the Crown Prosecution Service.

Assistant Chief Constable Rick Alton said: "I am deeply sorry this has occurred and after  we became aware of the loss in data, we notified the Information Commissioner's Office and began work to attempt to recover it.

"We’ve had a team of people working around the clock to manually check each case currently within the criminal justice system.

"We’ve brought in digital forensics specialists to explore how this data loss occurred and to establish if the data can be recovered. We will provide an update concerning this when further work has been undertaken. Whilst we remain hopeful, there are no guarantees, so it’s important the victims and the wider public are informed."

Dr Alan Billings, South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner, said he had  been made aware of a loss of data from the force’s storage systems and the work that is taking place to recover the data.

He said: "There may be implications for victims and witnesses and the wider criminal justice system as some of this footage may be evidence in upcoming court cases. The force is working through the implications and direct contact is being made with those affected.

"This incident is disappointing and concerning and the police need to understand quickly what has happened and why.

"I have been briefed by the Deputy Chief Constable and will continue to receive updates as the work continues to recover the data.

"I will also be seeking a full explanation as to how this incident occurred and what measures will be put in place to prevent it happening again."

South Yorkshire Police has referred itself to the Information Commissioner's Office after the force noticed a significant and unexplained reduction in data stored on its systems.