POLICE across the county are to be equipped with cameras which fit to their cycle helmets or shoulders after a successful pilot in East Oxford.

It is expected officers should be using the BWVCs - Body Worn Video Recording cameras - by the summer.

Thames Valley Police is spending £90,000 on 70 head cameras and equipment - including 25 in Oxfordshire - costing more than £1,000 each.

They will be shared around the county with five head cameras each for Oxford, Cherwell, west Oxfordshire, south Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse police areas.

According to a report by the Thames Valley Police Authority the head cameras are needed to capture evidence of antisocial behaviour and will increase detections for street crime.

Video footage can also lead to more guilty pleas in courts and leads to fewer complaints and assaults against officers, the report said.

Some of the footage could also be beamed directly back to a headquarters surveillance suite.

PC Mike Ellis, Thames Valley Police anti-social behaviour co- ordinator, said: "Once they have been delivered to us, we will spend time training officers in their use. We hope to finish this process by summer.

"The equipment will be available for use in a wide variety of situations, including late night disorder, anti-social behaviour, domestic violence and neighbourhood policing."

The cameras can also be worn on the shoulder of a police officer's uniform.

Mohammed Altaf-Khan, of Oxford City Council Safer City, said: "I would like to know more about this from the police first."

Last year, Oxfordshire County Council was considering introducing head cameras for lollipop ladies to prevent them being victims of irate drivers.

  • Police in East Oxford and the Cowley Road area of Oxford have been using the cameras for six months.

The five cameras are worn daily by cycle police and kept switched on during stop and search of suspects and to record anti-social behaviour.

Sgt Andy Barefield said: "These overt cameras have been an invaluable intelligence gathering tool.

"The officers have found they are quite a deterrent and people are quite wary of them. It is amazing what they can pick up and we have had a number of successes."

These cameras were paid for by the Nightsafe scheme, but under rules all new head cameras must be paid for by the police.

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