Police to wear head mounted cameras

12:01pm Monday 12th May 2008

Comments (27)   Have your say »

By Peter Law »

• Play Video

POLICE in Southampton are to wear hi-tech head and uniform mounted cameras to film violent drunks in the city centre, the Daily Echo can exclusively reveal.

While it can be used as evidence in court, officers want to teach drinkers a lesson by playing the embarrassing footage back to them once they sober up after a night in the lockup.

The Body Worn Video scheme - dubbed HeadCam - comes days after the Echo revealed that Southampton was ranked the third most dangerous city in Britain for alcohol-fuelled violence.

If the £21,000 trial, which is to be launched on May 24, proves successful police want it rolled out across the city to tackle antisocial behaviour and help victims of domestic violence.

Click here to see the headcam in action

Chief Inspector Karen Scipio, who is leading the project, said the cameras would soon be a regular sight on city centre streets.

"While Southampton remains a reasonably safe city we do have issues with binge drinking and a drinking culture - you only have to go out on a Friday or Saturday night to see that," she said.

"Initially the cameras will be a deterrent factor, because if people know they are being filmed generally it curbs their behaviour, failing that it provides us with evidence in court.

"Initially we only have enough cameras to serve the city centre, but ideally we'd like to roll this out to Bitterne, Shirley and Portswood as well."

Southampton Central police station has been issued with 20 of the super high-resolution devices, which are small enough to fit inside a cigarette packet.

Unlike similar kits already worn by other police forces in Britain, Southampton officers will have two tiny cameras that are mounted on their headgear and lapel.

The dual cameras capture an eye view of incidents and send visual and audio footage straight onto a hard drive attached to the officer's belt.

Chief Insp Scipio said drunks nursing a hangover in a police cell would be shown footage of their behaviour from the night before as a "wake up call".

"We have people locked up overnight who don't remember what they did the night before because they were so drunk," she said.

"But if you can show them their behaviour I think it will be quite powerful in preventing further offences and it's good evidence to show to a court if you have to go down that route.

"For an adult person, a respectable member of society, who's just not able to handle their drink I think it will be quite embarrassing and that tactic will make them rethink how much they drink."

A pilot scheme in Plymouth was a huge success, with an eight per cent reduction in violent crime, a 40 per cent increase in violent crimes detected and an increase of 85 per cent in violent crimes resulting in an arrest.

Click here to see the headcam in action

The camera, created by Kentbased firm Video Vest, cannot be used undercover and officers have been told to warn members of the public they are being filmed.

Chief Insp Scipio admitted that while there was a risk the technology could create a barrier between officers and the public, she hoped most people would see the wider benefits.

"In the areas we are going to use them, barring domestic violence incidents, there are already cameras everywhere," she said.

"If you are in the city centre on a Friday or Saturday night you are already on CCTV so this is just a more focused way of capturing data.

"This is never going to be used for anybody who isn't either breaking the law or about to break the law, this is not about filming law abiding people going about their business."

The cameras are also found to be effective in domestic violence incidents as they victims confidence to seek prosecution.

"We have lots of domestic violence victims who are afraid to give evidence and we hope this will support them to do that, because it's not them giving the evidence, it's the camera," Chief Insp Scipio added.