Sponsored by
Police want more headcams
CRIME-FIGHTING could be given a boost if a new £58,000 proposal gets the go ahead.
Durham Police is placing a formal bid to the Government for cash to fund a major extension to their network of miniature cameras which are used to gather evidence.
Police in Peterlee have been using the mini headcams for several months and say crime fighting could be given a major boost if more become available in east Durham.
The force is hoping for cash to buy 20 more of the cameras to be used across the force area, including four more for the Peterlee area.
Sergeant Ian Dickinson, of the community policing team at Peterlee Police, said the cameras have been used to get evidence of domestic incidents, anti-social behaviour incidents, house searches and at public events.
He said: "In domestic situations we get early evidence of damage to a property and injuries, because in domestic incidents we cannot always get statements from the complainant, but we can still prosecute because we have evidence on camera.
"The more we have the more first hand evidence we will be able to get."
The move follows a Government disclosure that 3m is to be made available to police forces nationally for what are officially described as "body-worn cameras".
Superintendent Jamie McAloon, head of Durham Police's operations department, said: "Officers wearing the cameras can instantly capture striking images of incidents they are called to that can be placed before courts as evidence."
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Hartlepool
Saturday 11 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 2 C to 4 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: South west
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 2 C to 6 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: North west
