Canillo Traffic Agents Test Body Cameras at Festival

Canillo traffic agents launched a pilot test of body-worn video cameras yesterday during the opening day of the parish's main festival. The trial targets the most crowded events at summer festivals across local neighborhoods to gauge the devices' performance in high-attendance settings.

Announced by the local council on Thursday morning, the initiative allows agents to use the cameras only on specific days designated by the council. Jordi Lusilla, representative of the festival organizing group, welcomed the step, stating it would improve safety.

The test draws on a regulation approved by the Canillo council on 21 January and published in the Official Bulletin of the Principality of Andorra. It requires use only when justified by public safety needs, with recordings limited to proportional and exceptional cases that respect fundamental rights. Data protection rules ensure confidentiality, granting residents rights to access or request deletion of footage. Images will be kept only as long as required, then securely erased.

Council sources emphasized the pilot's value in evaluating real-world operation amid intense traffic control and public safety tasks. Findings from this summer will guide decisions on permanent adoption.

Permanent use awaits approval from the national video surveillance commission, which includes representatives from the Interior ministry, judiciary or prosecution via the Superior Council of Justice, police, the Andorrana Data Protection Agency head, and communes selected by consuls. Canillo, along with Encamp and La Massana, has acquired the devices and approved regulations, but rollout hinges on this clearance. Other parishes must first enact their rules.

The project stems from the 2023 Traffic Agents Law, which authorizes the tools to support core duties while adhering to public security and data protection laws. Progress slowed due to elections—both general and local—since 2023, plus regulatory complexities. Police citizen security patrols have used body cameras since 2017, while traffic agents' push dates to 2019.

Officials described the effort as advancing municipal services, protecting agents and residents through transparency, legal safeguards, and rights protection.