BODY CAMS NEW TOOL IN CRIME FIGHTING www.privateofficer.com
LONDON -- Britain is taking its surveillance to a new level, strapping video cameras to the helmets of its famed bobbies -- a move the government says will cut down on paperwork and help prosecute criminals.
With the police providing dramatic footage of victims, suspects and witnesses, judges and jurors will be able to "see and hear the incident through the eyes and ears of the officer at the scene," said Tony McNulty, minister of state for security.
The Home Office said it is allocating $6 million to fund the devices for Britain's 42 police forces -- enough to buy more than 2,000 cameras.
The devices, worn around the ear or clipped to a helmet, have been used on a trial basis by police in Plymouth, in southwestern England, since 2005. Similar cameras are used by security guards at sports venues to hunt for soccer hooligans.
Britain is not the first country to use such cameras. Versions have been tested in Denmark. But the national rollout will tighten Britain's web of video surveillance, which is already the most extensive in the world -- some 4 million closed-circuit cameras. Privacy advocates complain that the average Briton is recorded as many as 300 times a day.
In a report on the Plymouth pilot project published by the Home Office on Thursday, officers praised the head-held cameras for deterring bad behavior and providing excellent evidence against crooks.
They also said rowdy youths quickly calmed when they realized they were being filmed.
The Home Office said officers would turn the devices on and off at their discretion, speaking into the camera to explain where, when and why they were starting it or turning it off.
The footage will be erased within a month if not being used in an investigation.
With the police providing dramatic footage of victims, suspects and witnesses, judges and jurors will be able to "see and hear the incident through the eyes and ears of the officer at the scene," said Tony McNulty, minister of state for security.
The Home Office said it is allocating $6 million to fund the devices for Britain's 42 police forces -- enough to buy more than 2,000 cameras.
The devices, worn around the ear or clipped to a helmet, have been used on a trial basis by police in Plymouth, in southwestern England, since 2005. Similar cameras are used by security guards at sports venues to hunt for soccer hooligans.
Britain is not the first country to use such cameras. Versions have been tested in Denmark. But the national rollout will tighten Britain's web of video surveillance, which is already the most extensive in the world -- some 4 million closed-circuit cameras. Privacy advocates complain that the average Briton is recorded as many as 300 times a day.
In a report on the Plymouth pilot project published by the Home Office on Thursday, officers praised the head-held cameras for deterring bad behavior and providing excellent evidence against crooks.
They also said rowdy youths quickly calmed when they realized they were being filmed.
The Home Office said officers would turn the devices on and off at their discretion, speaking into the camera to explain where, when and why they were starting it or turning it off.
The footage will be erased within a month if not being used in an investigation.
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