Body cameras to help fight crime

Police and wardens will wear the cameras while out on patrol

Police officers and council safety wardens in Renfrewshire will have CCTV cameras mounted on their uniforms in a bid to tackle anti-social behaviour.

The body cameras will allow them to record footage of incidents they attend which can then be used as evidence.

Officers from Tayside police trialled similar technology last year.

The Renfrewshire scheme is thought to be the first in Scotland where both the police and community wardens will wear the state-of-the-art digital cameras.

The lightweight device will be worn on the uniforms of officers and wardens on patrol on foot and mountain bikes in known crime trouble spots across Renfrewshire.

This new technology will be used to deter such criminality, gather evidence, provide corroboration and show openness and accountability Supt Donald McCallum Strathclyde Police

The cameras will not record continuously, but will be used to document incidents the police and wardens are attending, recording what they see, hear and say, as well as providing additional prosecution evidence, if required.

The council has 46 wardens who work in teams of two. One body-mounted camera will be used per pair.

Supt Donald McCallum of Strathclyde Police said: "We are continually looking at innovative approaches to targeting anti-social behaviour.

"This new technology will be used to deter such criminality, gather evidence, provide corroboration and show openness and accountability."

The cameras will also provide protection for officers from false allegations against them.

Councillor Brian Lawson, Renfrewshire Council's community safety spokesman, said: "Our wardens were re-launched last year with a wider role of working with community police to tackle anti-social behaviour and environmental crime such as dog-fouling and littering.

"The use of these cameras will assist the wardens in carrying out their duties and lead to further reduction in crime in our communities."

In 2007 officers from Strathclyde Police were issued with head-mounted cameras as part of a six month trial.

Officers in Lanarkshire were also given hand-held cameras to film crime and disorder incidents.