South Yorkshire Police admits losing three years’ worth of officer body cam footage

South Yorkshire Police (SYP) has apologised after revealing more than three years’ worth of officer body cam footage has been deleted from its computer systems.

SYP said it had referred itself to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) after the footage, recorded between July 2020 and May 2023, was found to be missing.

The force initially said the incident had been caused by a “significant and unexplained reduction” in stored data on its computer systems and later clarified that the data had been “deleted” and not hacked.

Around 69 cases have been identified as potentially affected by the loss of data and the force said it was working closely with the victims and Crown Prosecution Service.

The cases range from cannabis possession through to domestic abuse and sexual offences, SYP told The Independent.

The force added that no particular crime type was disproportionately affected. A spokesperson said the 69 cases had been identified because the force knew bodycam footage was available, although this did not necessarily mean it was “relevant or would have been submitted as evidence”.

Urgent work, led by digital forensic experts, is underway to recover the footage, it added.

Rich Alton, South Yorkshire Police’s assistant chief constable, apologised and said a team of people was working “around the clock” to try to recover the video and check each case.

“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,” he said.

He added: “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.”

Police record video and audio on bodyworn cameras when they attend all types of incidents and the footage is sometimes used in criminal cases.

It is also reviewed when allegations of wrongdoing are made against officers.

Alan Billings, South York police and crime commissioner, described the incident as “disappointing and concerning” and said he would be seeking a full explanation as to what happened.

Sarah Champion, the Labour MP for Rotherham, called for a “robust” inquiry.

She wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “This is very concerning as it likely will have a big impact on cases, and therefore justice. What is going on with police and data? This needs a robust inquiry.”

It comes just weeks after a major data beach in Northern Ireland, where the force mistakenly published the personal details of officers in response to a freedom of information request.

Norfolk and Suffolk police forces, in another freedom of information request incident, released the personal details of more than 1,000 people, including crime victims.

An ICO spokesperson said: “We are aware of an incident at South Yorkshire Police and are making enquiries.”

A CPS spokesperson said: “South Yorkshire Police have made us aware of a data loss issue. We are supporting their ongoing work to explore the potential impact on a small number of cases.

“Our lawyers will be reviewing these cases to establish what further action needs to be taken, taking into account the circumstances of each case.”