IT was like any other weekend night in the centre of Southampton.

Fuelled by alcohol, revellers spilled out of pubs, bars and clubs on to the streets.

Most of this seething mass of humanity were in good humour and enjoying the start of the bank holiday weekend.

But some were looking for trouble and they were destined to find it.

Click here to watch the footage from Friday night

It was a scene that has been played out every Friday and Saturday for decades.

But on Friday night there was one difference.

For the first time the violent behaviour of drunken yobs was caught on film as Southampton police launched the trial of their latest hi-tech cameras.

Patrol officers were kitted up with state-of-the-art gadgetry to record the true extent of Southampton's booze culture.

Each officer wore two cameras, dubbed H e a d C a m s , attached to their hats and lapels and the Daily Echo was on hand to a c c o m p a n y them on their city beat.

Before the night had really begun, at 10.12pm, one aggressive 22-year-old man's evening out was coming to an early end.

After a disagreement with a doorman, he found himself pinned to the ground outside Jongleurs near the Bargate.

Click here for a video showing what the HeadCam can do

A bouncer held the struggling clubber who had a bloody injury to his head before PCs Vicky Hands and Mark Shepherd took over.

The pair tried to calm the slurring drinker who fought fiercely to free himself before being restrained in handcuffs, arrested for a public order offence and left to sober up overnight in a cell.

PC Shepherd said the arrest was typical of Friday and Saturday nights in the city centre and he was glad he had the added support of his camera.

He said: "There was some kind of altercation inside the club and the doorman had been shoved. He was detained for threatening violence.

The footage covers us because it shows we did not cause his injury to the head and also shows what his behaviour was like. You can hear all the swearing.

"We couldn't interview him in that state to find out what happened in the club so we had to leave him in the cells."

Inspector Andy Timms, of the police's community safety public protection unit, said evidence gathered by the HeadCams would be superb and hoped to double the number of the £500 devices used by Southampton officers.

He said: "When people realise they are on film they change what they are doing. It stops swearing people getting into people's faces and shouting and screaming when they are drunk."

Cameras proved little deterrent for the Jongleurs drinker who continued to spurt out vile language and struggle to escape.

But the footage did paint an indisputable picture of what took place during the arrest.

Insp Timms explained there were currently 18 machines at the city's disposal with a further 20 or so in the pipeline.

He said HeadCams would also be invaluable when officers are called out to domestic violence and child protection cases where a video recording can accurately capture the atmosphere, injuries and words exchanged.

He said: "The cameras have a flexible cord and can be used to see behind doors and through letter boxes so officers can know what hazard they are walking into.

Hampshire police has purchased a large amount of cameras and in a few years time I can see them being as common as radios."

See today's Daily Echo for the full story