Police adoption of body-worn video technology in England and Wales: a socio-technical analysis of change

Roux, Jean-Pierre (2026) Police adoption of body-worn video technology in England and Wales: a socio-technical analysis of change. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

Using qualitative methods in the context of policing in England and Wales, this doctoral research examines how police and body-worn video (BWV) technology shape one another. It explores the impact of the technology, the technology as a product, and the process of interaction between police and BWV systems. The research responds to both the rapid development of BWV technology systems and their widespread adoption across UK policing organisations since their first trial in 2005.

Most studies on police adoption of BWV technology have been conducted in the United States, are quantitative and experimental in design, and focus primarily on behavioural outcomes (Lum et al., 2019; O’Neill et al., 2024). Consequently, there remains a need for qualitative inquiry into how BWV technology adoption has influenced policing in England and Wales, at organisational and potentially regional levels. As Flight (2020) notes, when it comes to body-worn video and policing, technology matters. It is therefore necessary to identify and understand significant shifts in BWV technology development and use within policing organisations, including potential diffusion (Rogers, 2003) to new users and function creep into new applications shaped by these technological developments. Moreover, the design and functionality of BWV systems, and their patterns of police use, have broader implications for public interaction, institutional arrangements, and academic research on police technology adoption (Fan, 2017; 2018a; 2018b).

To address these questions, the research combines qualitative data collection with secondary sources to examine the impact of BWV technology adoption and to describe the mutual shaping process between police organisations and BWV technology in England and Wales. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with members of police organisations, a BWV technology vendor, and a third-sector organisation, complemented by field observations of officers responding to emergency calls. Data were analysed thematically using a socio-technical analytic framework to describe how BWV technology and police organisations influence one another and to examine the implications that may result for society.

Given that technical components (materiality) of BWV technology have been largely neglected in prior research (Flight, 2020; see also Ariel et al., 2016; Willis, 2022), a socio-technical analytic framework was adopted to give equal consideration to social arrangements and technical systems. A dual-nature view of technology (treating it as both a product and process) was used to ensure that the technical components were examined in theory and in practice. Recognising that analytic approaches grounded in relational ontologies, such as actor-network theory and ‘new’ materialism, tend to focus narrowly on the process of organisational technology use (Roberts and Grabowski, 1999), this research integrates insider interview data, BWV guidance documents, and policy analysis to extend the focus by examining impact. In so doing, this research describe shifts within policing organisations and, where relevant, in regional policing more broadly.

The data are analysed and the findings articulated to narrate the story of change arising from BWV technology adoption and to explain the mutual shaping of police organisations, officers, and the BWV technologies they select, implement, and use. Empirically, the research identifies shifts in policing in England and Wales relating to transparency, accountability, and police protection. Theoretically, it contributes by synthesizing and critically analysing existing BWV technology research to reveal conceptual and methodological imbalances, advancing criminological debates on the relationship between police and technology. It also introduces a conceptual toolkit that integrates socio-technical theory and dual-nature perspectives of technology, providing analytic categories for examining both the design and material components of BWV systems (technology as product) and the social arrangements that shape their use (technology as process). Central to this framework is the concept of (mis)alignment, which highlights how certain organisational practices and interpretations correspond more closely than others with the technology’s design and intended purpose. Together, these insights support future research on police technology adoption and the mutual development of technical and organisational systems.

• Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Additional Information: Supported by funding from a Lord Kelvin/Adam Smith Studentship and Go Abroad programmes.
• Subjects: H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
• Colleges/Schools: College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences
• Funder's Name: Lord Kelvin/Adam Smith Studentship
• Supervisor's Name: Berg, Dr Julie and Jones, Dr Richard
• Date of Award: 2026
• Depositing User: Theses Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:2026-85716
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 27 Jan 2026 11:36
• Last Modified: 30 Jan 2026 15:24
• Thesis DOI: 10.5525/gla.thesis.85716
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/85716