Victorian police officers can deactivate their body-worn cameras whenever they choose, edit the footage before court cases and limit complainants' access to images, prompting calls for a dramatic revamp of the system.

The Age can reveal that the Andrews government has given police full power to deal “in-house” with any potential breaches of body-worn cameras, which have so far been sent to 8085 frontline police and protective services officers across the state.

A police officer wears a body-worn camera. Credit:

But lawyers and human rights advocates fear that without independent sanctions and oversight, the system - designed to improve law enforcement and community safety - could easily be abused.

“There are no laws regarding when they have to be turned on, or when they have to be turned off," said Robinson Gill Lawyers principal solicitor Jeremy King, who has represented numerous victims of police brutality over the years. "Police have control of the entire system."