Police to get more Helmet Mounted Head Cameras

The Home Office is to provide police with an extra £3 million to
fund a national roll-out of revolutionary head camera technology,
Minister of State for Police, Crime, Security and Counter-Terrorism
Tony McNulty announced today (12 July 2007).

The move comes
after an independent evaluation of a pilot project in Plymouth by Devon
and Cornwall Constabulary, published today, showed that use of Body
Worn Video devices led to an increase in the proportion of crimes where
the offender was brought to justice, compared with incidents where the
cameras were not used.

The clear evidence provided by head
camera footage means that offenders have less opportunity to deny their
involvement, leading to less paperwork for the police, earlier guilty
pleas, less time spent in court and an increase in convictions.

Tony McNulty said: "The use of body worn cameras has the potential to
improve significantly the quality of evidence provided by police
officers in the drive to reduce crime, the fear of crime and increase
the proportion of offenders brought to justice.

"I am
delighted to be able to announce £3million for the police service which
will enable forces to make this valuable technology available to
frontline police officers in England and Wales.

This Government is committed to tackling violent crime and antisocial behaviour and the assessment so far is that the deployment of this new technology could be very effective in reducing crime, acting as a preventative tool and a means to enhance detections.

Alongside the independent assessment report on the Plymouth pilot project, the Home Office today also published guidance for the police for the use of Body Worn Video Devices to ensure that procedures are standardised across forces. The report and guidance were launched at a conference on Body Worn Video Devices being held in Plymouth today, hosted by Devon and Cornwall Constabulary.

Areas assessed were the impact on crime and detection figures together with the impact on officer time in investigation, file preparation and prisoner handling.

"This Government is committed to tackling violent crime and antisocial
behaviour and the assessment so far is that the deployment of this new
technology could be very effective in reducing crime, acting as a
preventative tool and a means to enhance detections."

Alongside the independent assessment report on the Plymouth pilot
project, the Home Office today also published guidance for the police
for the use of Body Worn Video Devices to ensure that procedures are
standardised across forces.

The report and guidance were
launched at a conference on Body Worn Video Devices being held in
Plymouth today, hosted by Devon and Cornwall Constabulary.