Officers in Wrexham to Wear Video Cameras

Police officers in Wrexham are to be kitted-out with body cameras from next month so evidence of crimes can be captured as they happen.

Plans for North Wales Police officers across the force area to wear video cameras will be rolled out this summer following a successful pilot scheme across Conwy and Denbighshire.

The introduction of the technology has been welcomed by North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Winston Roddick CB QC. A £25.000 contribution from the PCC and a Ministry of Justice Innovation Fund grant of £44,000 made the North Wales initiative possible.

It is widely accepted that Body Worn Video (BWV) significantly improves the opportunity for officers to gather good evidence, while feedback from other forces shows that their use promotes public reassurance, modifies people’s behaviour, prevents harm and often deters people from committing crime and anti-social behaviour.

The High Definition recordings can also provide independent evidence that can improve the quality of prosecution material and can reduce the reliance on a victim having to give evidence, particularly those who may be vulnerable or reluctant to attend court.

The equipment also helps to develop the professionalism of officers whose interactions with the public are also recorded.

Sgt Alwyn Williams said: “The cameras are a welcome addition to an officer’s kit. They have been in circulation in West Conwy since April and have often been a topic of positive conversations with the public which is reassuring.

“To date the cameras have been used to record crime scenes, including public order situations and domestic violence related incidents. Some of these matters have progressed through to the criminal justice system with the footage enabling the best evidence to be presented to the court while at the same time reducing the demand for officers to have to attend court.

“There is strict legislation around their use. Specially trained response officers will use them in situations where they would normally use their pocket note books to record details of an incident or an encounter. They cannot be used covertly to make secret recordings.”

A pilot scheme across Conwy and Denbighshire in recent months has proved successful, having been used to gather footage of anti-social behaviour, domestic related crime and the execution of search warrants.

Once back at the police station, the police officer will dock the device and the video material automatically goes to a digital store of evidence which is integrated with the force’s central records management system.

Mr Roddick said: “The use of body worn video is an excellent idea because this state-of-the-art technology will improve the effectiveness of policing in North Wales.

“At the same time, it will also speed up the criminal justice system because the camera doesn’t lie. The camera provides instant evidence which is contemporaneous and incontrovertible.

“As a result, it will deter some criminals from committing a crime and if they do in fact commit a crime they will see there is no alternative other than to pleading guilty.

“That means a great deal of time and money will be saved for North Wales Police and the courts where justice is administered.

“It is a fantastic new weapon in the fight against crime.”

Officers in Flintshire and Wrexham will be using BWV from July and in Anglesey and Gwynedd they will deploy them from August.