Police Camera Action - Out of Control, aired 23 September 1997 originally, re-run from October 1998. Source: Edutainment Edutainment, an archive on YouTube.
What type of source would this be if I was doing a project on history of law enforcement and road policing - a primary source because it was from 1997 and about policing in 1997, a secondary source because it has pre-1997 police footage dating back to 1987, or both types of source?
Would it count as a primary source since Alastair Stewart the presenter is involved in some of the action or observing it, like the Dyfed-Powys Police training exercise involving a gunman.
As it's a documentary, there's bias somewhere, more towards education.
I would appreciate any input from historians assessing the reliability of this as a source for if I was doing a project on history of law enforcement and road policing from the 1980s to the 2000s as a topic area.
It’s complicated, depending on how you’re using it.
As a source on law enforcement practice in the 80s, I would lean toward secondary since it’s been edited and the context of the historical footage framed in a certain way.
If you’re discussing how these practices were portrayed and what you’re using the source for is a demonstration that, in the 90s, they were considered exemplary (either positively or negatively, including the fact that the footage was edited to highlight specific things), then it would be a primary source because you’re focusing on the portrayal and representation as well as the actual content.
Depending on what level you’re at, this is one of those questions that bleeds into media studies—if you’re high school or undergraduate that might be a bit much to tackle, though!