Body-worn cameras help deter crime

Police officers in South London say they “feel more empowered” after successfully trialling body-worn cameras to help tackle criminal and anti-social behaviour. The trial by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) in Sutton town centre worked to such good effect that the borough is looking to fund some more cameras.

The small, high-definition camera worn by police officers and police community support officers (PCSOs) on their protective jackets record the sights and sounds of what is going on in front of them.
Officers who have been using the cameras over the past two months report that many offenders have chosen to leave a scene quietly after being shocked and embarrassed to see their bad behaviour played back to them.

In contrast, the small minority of offenders who continue their abusive and aggressive behaviour despite being recorded, are providing the police with the incontrovertible, image-based evidence needed to secure a prosecution.

Sutton town centre Inspector Richard Hall said officers were finding it was proving to be a “win, win” situation – whether offenders disperse before trouble starts or go on to commit offences.

“The most important benefit is that we can keep officers on the streets longer without being tied up at the police station processing offenders for relatively minor offences,” said Insp Hall.

“This is hugely reassuring for the public when visiting the town centre, particularly during the evening. Also, for those people who are determined to commit offences, then the cameras capture much of the evidence we need.”

He added: “In the vast majority of cases, the cameras are resulting in more incidents being dealt with on the street and less officer time spent at the police station dealing with the paperwork involved in processing prisoners.”

In terms of specific incidents, officers wearing cameras have been able to:
?Record a man, who had been arrested and was being taken in the back of a police van to the police station, admit that he had been carrying a knife before he discarded it during a police chase; and
?Convince a woman that her friend had not been pushed and shoved by officers when the footage was played back to her.

Insp Hall added: “Officers are telling me they are feeling more empowered. It’s important to mention that no one has tried to appeal against any outcome when we have shown the footage to suspects; nor has there been any complaint against police upheld while officers have been equipped with the cameras.”

Acting Police Sergeant Stuart Murrell, who has taken the lead in introducing the cameras into day-to-day policing in the town centre, said: “The feedback from the public has been excellent. I was expecting people to bemoan, ‘you can’t go anywhere these days without a camera pointing at you’. In fact, no one has said this and we are talking to people all the time. The public has been very supportive of why we are wearing them.”

The town centre’s first ten cameras were jointly funded by the Business Crime Reduction Partnership, a group of businesses which promote town centre safety and security, and the Safer Sutton Partnership Service, a joint council and police team which coordinates a range of community safety services for the borough, including CCTV.