What footage
the police actually need.

Identification, not observation

Police and courts talk about levels: monitor (something's there), detect (it's a person), recognise (someone who knows them could), identify (a stranger could). A camera that gives 'detect' at your front door has told you what you already knew. You want 'identify' at entrances and approaches — which means resolution, distance, angle and light all working together.

The checklist

• Resolution and distance: 8MP for faces within ~9m, 4MP within ~5m. Beyond that you're recognising, not identifying.
• Height and angle: 2.5–3m, looking at faces — not the tops of heads from the eaves.
• Night: colour night vision at the positions that matter. Infrared is fine for awareness, not identification.
• Time: recorder clock synced (NTP). Footage with the wrong time is questioned.
• Export: native format with the timestamp overlay, plus the recorder's player if needed. Not a phone recording of the screen.
• Retention: 30 days minimum so late reports still have footage.

Handing it over

Export the clip to a USB stick or upload via the force's digital evidence portal if they offer one. Note who exported it and when. Keep the original on the recorder until told it's no longer needed.