Petitions/Prevent police withholding bodycam footage under FOIA
StatusClosed
Opened8 May 2025
Closes8 Nov 2025
Government response
Parliamentary debateNot eligible
Milestones

Amend the Freedom of Information Act to prevent the police withholding bodycam footage from closed cases. We think this would improve transparency, accountability, and public trust in policing, provided GDPR and legal protections are respected.

We ask for police bodycam footage from closed cases to be subject to FOI requests, while maintaining compliance with GDPR. Bodycams and video storage are publicly funded so we think they should be subject to public scrutiny. In the US, similar footage is sometimes released, and can promote trust. If cases are closed and GDPR is complied with, we think there is no valid reason to withhold footage. It could help ensure transparency, accountability, and responsible use of public resources.

10,000
100,000

Constituency engagement ranking

David Taylor
1David Taylor MP
Hemel Hempstead
4
Sarah Jones
2Sarah Jones MP
Croydon West
2
Victoria Atkins
3Victoria Atkins MP
Louth and Horncastle
2
Andrew Western
4Andrew Western MP
Stretford and Urmston
2
Lee Anderson
5Lee Anderson MP
Ashfield
1
Mr Richard Holden
6Mr Richard Holden MP
Basildon and Billericay
1
Luke Murphy
7Luke Murphy MP
Basingstoke
1
Liam Conlon
8Liam Conlon MP
Beckenham and Penge
1
Paulette Hamilton
9Paulette Hamilton MP
Birmingham Erdington
1
Barry Gardiner
10Barry Gardiner MP
Brent West
1
Prevent police withholding bodycam footage under FOIA — Petitions