Discussion on the Sustainable Development of Body Worn Camera Industry

In recent years, with the rapid development of mobile internet and mobile media, the phenomenon of uncivilized law enforcement by individual staff members of law enforcement agencies has often been exposed, causing a negative impact on regular law enforcement. Against this backdrop, the social call for transparent and civilized law enforcement is growing louder and has received a response from relevant national institutions. As frontline law enforcement officers increasingly recognize the importance of civilized law enforcement, the law enforcement recorder market is poised to enter a period of explosive growth.

Intensified Disorderly Market Competition

ZECN Chairman Cao Yongjun believes that, from the perspective of market analysis of law enforcement recorders, mobile devices are in a state of rapid growth, but there is also a trend of disorderly competition. The main reason is that with the expansion and opening up of the law enforcement recorder market, there are now many manufacturers in the market. According to the list of qualified products purchased by the Ministry of Public Security, there are nearly 100 registered companies that can participate in the bidding for law enforcement recorders. Due to differences in scale and industry, these companies do not have a good grasp of the development and interests of the industry. Many manufacturers pursue profit without considering the contribution of their products to the industry's development, resulting in serious product homogeneity in the market. Companies copy and imitate each other's product functions. If a company introduces a new function, other manufacturers will imitate and plagiarize it, ultimately resulting in similar product functions and declining profits.

Trend Towards Holistic Procurement

As the largest purchaser of law enforcement recorders, the systematic procurement model is also undergoing a subtle change. From the previous unified procurement by the provincial department to the current allocation of funds to various municipal and county bureaus for independent procurement, this is mainly due to the consideration that each public security system can select products according to its own needs, increasing the effectiveness and flexibility of product selection. For example, the provincial department previously considered the equipment to be good, but various municipal and branch bureaus did not find it suitable, resulting in wasted procurement.

However, for the industry, due to the openness of law enforcement recorders in bidding and the low entry barrier, when procurement power is decentralized, some small-scale manufacturers and workshops in remote and underdeveloped markets will have opportunities for development. However, the future trend is towards a more holistic procurement method. Purchasers will list their procurement requirements, including product configuration requirements, manufacturer qualification review, and for some large projects, software, certification, and authorization requirements. The procurement of law enforcement recorders will move from single products to a systematic approach, including law enforcement recorders, law enforcement collection stations, and law enforcement management platforms.

Unscientific Parameters and Poor R&D by Small Enterprises

Judging from the equipment parameters publicized by exhibitors at the exhibition, many manufacturers do not objectively express the true situation of the parameters. For example, the lens and photosensitive chip used in the law enforcement recorder do not support the advertised pixels. Even if some chips support such high pixels, they cannot achieve that effect. Therefore, the photographed pixels obtained through some unscientific testing methods, such as 16 million pixels, 20 million pixels, and 34 million pixels, are not scientific. The competent authorities have also seen the drawbacks of this industry phenomenon, so in the new industry standard, this reference has been removed.

The newly formulated standard for law enforcement recorders will cover everything from single products to systematic products and system engineering solutions. The systems and equipment currently used by customers include some newly purchased and some previously purchased, which places demands on manufacturers in terms of system integration, connection, and compatibility. If an enterprise lacks R&D capabilities, it may fall behind if its technical services in large-scale system management platforms cannot keep up. Last year, a requirement was put forward for the system—equipment must be equipped with a management system. Therefore, since last year, many small-scale manufacturers have faced increasing survival pressure.

Increased Usage Rate of Law Enforcement Recorders on the Frontline

In previous years, market feedback indicated that when mobile devices were distributed to the frontline, the usage rate was not very high, and most of them were piled up in warehouses, becoming mere decorations. However, the situation has greatly improved now.

First, this is related to the national background and top-level design. General Secretary Xi Jinping's call for the rule of law and the construction of standardized law enforcement reflects a top-down recognition of the help that law enforcement recorders bring to the entire law enforcement system in terms of standardized law enforcement. This also reflects the leadership's recognition of the importance of law enforcement recorders. Future law enforcement should be civilized and open.

Second, at the frontline level, at the beginning, the wearing of law enforcement recorders did not attract their attention, and some personnel may have misinterpreted the meaning of the upper leadership, thinking that the equipment of such law enforcement recorders is to supervise their law enforcement behavior, possibly magnifying negative issues. However, with the publicity and continuous popularization of standardized law enforcement construction, the frontline's views have also changed, from the previous requirement to wear them by the leadership to now actively wearing them themselves. They have truly felt the convenience and benefits brought by law enforcement recorders.

Finally, from the ministries and commissions to the provincial, municipal, and bureau levels, a consensus has now been reached—to increase the allocation of products. From the original several devices per person to the requirement of one device per frontline officer next year, from the original purchase and storage in warehouses to the current law enforcement officers feeling the benefits of wearing them, this reflects that fairness and justice are becoming a social need and reflects the development of China's standardized law enforcement process.

"Internet+" Redefines the Law Enforcement Recorder Market

Law enforcement recorders have transitioned from small-batch, high-profit products to large-batch, low-profit products, reflecting the market's maturation process. However, the disorderly competition among a large number of manufacturers is making it difficult for many products to even achieve low profits. Therefore, seeking differentiated competition and developing high-end products to meet users' intelligent and customized business needs requires enterprises to invest in innovation and breakthroughs. For example, the currently developed intelligent law enforcement recorders upgrade the product from a simple, ordinary device to a high-definition, intelligent one. By using "Internet+" to redefine the law enforcement recorder market, law enforcement recorders are divided into ordinary and intelligent law enforcement recorders. Therefore, in the process of transitioning from low profits to reasonable profits, whether manufacturers can use technological innovation to achieve increased revenue and value reflects a company's core competitiveness in independent innovation.

Currently, the profit of intelligent law enforcement recorders is higher than that of ordinary law enforcement recorders, not only in terms of hardware functions but also in their powerful internet and mobile internet technologies, as well as powerful backend management systems and overall solutions. These will lead to an overall improvement in product performance.

Application of Internet Technology in Intelligent Law Enforcement Recorders

The application of mobile internet technology in intelligent law enforcement recorders is mainly reflected in the following points:

First, to meet the actual needs of customers and future development requirements, law enforcement agencies must ensure that the equipment they use provides effective value. From the original audio and video recording, many law enforcement agencies now ask whether it is possible to transmit the scene images to the command center in real time. This involves 3G/4G image transmission technology, which is one of the essential functions of intelligent law enforcement recorders.

Secondly, to improve the efficiency of law enforcement officers, the product must be convenient. In the past, during law enforcement, information needed to be recorded, such as when a detachment went to handle a case, or when it went to a police station. Now, on-site investigations are conducted. For example, when checking illegal vehicles, information can be entered and fines issued on-site, avoiding the frequent trips of law enforcement officers between the scene and the office, thus improving efficiency.

Furthermore, in terms of network connectivity, previously it was done via voice, but now it's network-based. The advantage is that the conversation content can be recorded and replayed, and there's no need for manual operation during calls, making it very convenient. Network intercoms can also create individual groups, using the network to achieve real-time communication across large areas or even globally.

Finally, regarding positioning, the smart law enforcement recorder can use electronic maps and BeiDou positioning information to transmit the location of law enforcement officers in real-time, facilitating management. Additionally, when law enforcement encounters difficulties, the electronic fence function can be used to dispatch nearby personnel for support.

The law enforcement recorder market is expanding rapidly.

From the perspective of market development trends, law enforcement recorders have extended to fire safety, sanitation, urban management, and traffic in terms of standardized law enforcement, expanding from a single department to law enforcement agencies nationwide. In March 2015, the State Council issued a document requiring all law enforcement agencies to be equipped with law enforcement terminals by the end of 2017, indicating a continuous increase in user units and procurement needs. Another market increase is the shift from several people sharing one recorder to a department requiring one per person, which has increased demand several times over.

In the overseas market, the shooting of a black boy in the Ferguson case in the United States drew attention from the US government regarding law enforcement records, leading to hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for related products. Therefore, the US is paying increasing attention to this field and gradually increasing its procurement efforts. As the world's policeman, the US's exemplary behavior will influence other countries, so the global market window for law enforcement recorders has now opened. As an industry leader in law enforcement recorders, we must not only produce high-quality products but also establish a positive image of China and build a Chinese brand in the international market.

Undoubtedly, the market for law enforcement recorders will continue to grow, promoting the process of standardized law enforcement in China and the world. Mainstream manufacturers of law enforcement recorders should develop products based on user needs, adopt an "Internet+" approach, and embrace the concept of mass innovation and entrepreneurship to lead the industry forward.