17/07/2006
Digital` head cams` to combat anti social behaviour
New mini-video camera headsets worn by Liverpool's Citywatch `Patrol and Response` officers were trialled in Calderstones Park today. The `cams` can record everything drunk or violent individuals say and do, and then use footage in court to convict them.
Offenders could no longer deny being present at the scene of underage drinking, vandalism or dangerous dog attacks, making it easier to prosecute them.
Liverpool City Council's Patrol and Response officers and police officers tested out the head-mounted equipment yesterday at Calderstones Park, which has suffered recent problems with groups of teenage drinkers.
They were delighted with the quality of images recorded, and are keen to bring the system to the city. The camera records what the wearer sees, providing footage to back up their account of events.
Police in other parts of the country have already used "digital head cams" to secure undeniable evidence of trouble-making, with almost forty police forces across the country already using the equipment.
The first time head-cam images were used, a woman was convicted of assaulting a police officer just 17 days after the offence took place, saving thousands of pounds of taxpayers' money.
Cllr Dave Antrobus, Liverpool's executive member for community safety, said: "There are so many situations when they would act as the equivalent of an extra pair of eyes.
"We would obviously use them in conjunction with the police, filtering down any information we gather to them. They will obviously help with the prosecution of offenders.
"But they will also act as a deterrent. If we know that a 16-year-old girl is drinking alcohol excessively in public, we can go and see her parents with footage so they can see for themselves.
"Head cams will also be a big help in dangerous dog cases, when it is often difficult to identify the animal involved. The recording quality is excellent and we now just have to look at how much they would cost."
The cameras measure just 70mm by 20mm, weigh only 80 grams and gather up to 400 hours of video. They are water and shock-resistant and can record in near-total darkness.
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