Police across Oxfordshire are to be issued with cameras which fit into their cycle helmets or can be worn on their shoulders.
After a successful pilot in East Oxford, it is expected that the entire county’s police should be fitted with the Body Worn Video Recording Cameras (BWVCs) by the summer.
According to a report by Thames Valley Police, the cameras are necessary to capture evidence of antisocial behaviour and should therefore lead to increased detections of street crime. It is also possible that the video cameras will lead to more guilty pleas in court and fewer complaints and assaults against officers.
PC Mike Ellis, anti-social behaviour co-ordinator for Thames Valley Police, said "Once they have been delivered to us, we will spend time training officers in their use. We hope to finish this process by summer."
70 cameras will be bought at a cost of more than £1,000 each, 25 of which will be used in Oxfordshire. The total cost of the new equipment will run to £90,000.
