Body-worn cameras present an opportunity for our Authorised Officers (AOs) to help everyone on our network to not only be safe but feel safe.
Body-worn cameras are used by many other organisations across Australia and have been proven to be effective in reducing assaults and enhancing passenger safety.
From November 2026, 20 pre-trained Metro Trains AOs will be on the public transport network wearing body-worn cameras. During this time, all remaining AOs participating in the trial will receive specialised education and training on using the cameras, including the privacy and legal requirements they must follow.
Once the training is complete, a six-month trial will commence with 72 cameras deployed on the public transport network. The trial will include several Multimodal Authorised Officers who work across the V/Line, tram and bus networks.
Body-worn camera trial privacy collection notice
The Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) and its network operators may use body‑worn cameras (BWCs) to capture audio and video recordings of interactions between Authorised Officers (AOs) and members of the public.
Personal information that DTP collects will be handled in accordance with its privacy policy, which is available at the Privacy page.
AOs are employed by network operators, including Metro Trains Melbourne Pty Ltd (Metro) as the operator of Melbourne’s metropolitan rail network.
Personal information that Metro collects will be handled in accordance with its privacy policy, which is available at the Metro trains website.
Information collected by BWCs may include personal and sensitive information.
BWCs continuously capture audio and video footage while they are turned on (and are turned on while an AO is conducting their duties).
However, footage is overridden every 30 seconds and is not retained unless and until an AO ‘activates’ the BWC. Once activated, all footage recorded by the BWC up to the point that the BWC is deactivated again will be retained and will not be overridden.
If a BWC has been activated, it may collect audio and video footage of individuals involved in the relevant incident. It may also capture incidental footage of individuals who are in the background or the vicinity of the incident.
An AO will only activate a BWC in specific circumstances, and DTP will only collect and use BWC recordings where reasonably necessary for its functions and activities or otherwise authorised or required by law, including for:
- the safety of staff and the public
- compliance and enforcement activities
- incident response and investigation
- evidence collection for legal or regulatory purposes
- training and education of AOs
- to investigate feedback or complaints about an AO
- for insurance claims
If AOs do not activate their BWCs when appropriate, DTP and Metro may not be able to maintain the safety and security on Victoria’s public transport network, review the conduct of individuals or AOs where an incident occurs, or ensure that the public transport network operates smoothly.
Only authorised personnel may access BWC recordings for lawful purposes, as permitted by relevant laws and policies. Playback access is limited to specific personnel and situations.
Disclosure of BWC footage is only permitted to third parties for the purposes for which it is collected (including to service providers that it engages to assist it with storing the footage and police or other law enforcement agencies for the purpose of investigating an offence), where identified under relevant Ministerial Directions, and otherwise if authorised or required under law.
DTP applies privacy and security controls to this information to ensure appropriate access, to protect recordings from unauthorised access or disclosure and to ensure recordings are only used and disclosed for permitted purposes.
BWC recordings are retained in accordance with the Public Records Act 1973, Public Records Office Victoria standards and other applicable laws and policies.
BWC recordings may be retained for certain permitted purposes in line with the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 and the Public Records Act 1973.
Individuals can request the BWC recording of an incident they were involved in.
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