Cameras will help capture case evidence

Body cameras are being rolled out across the county to enable police to capture evidence as events happen.
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Lancashire Constabulary has already piloted the scheme using cameras for a small number of operations, but the cameras are now being utilised across the whole force.

A total of 150 cameras have been distributed to immediate response teams who will use the equipment to capture evidence of criminal behaviour.

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Inspector Mark Baines of Lancashire Police said: “Police forces across the country have already embraced body worn cameras and have identified the potential benefits of their use.

“Here in Lancashire I hope that the wider use of the cameras will promote public reassurance, capture best evidence, prevent harm and deter people from committing crime and anti-social behaviour.

“Whilst offering reassurance to members of the public, safeguarding witnesses and victims, the cameras should also increase officers’ safety.

“The cameras can be used to capture evidence of criminal behaviour that can help to ‘set the scene’ for a court at a later date and reduce reliance on victim evidence.”

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Only specially trained, uniformed officers will wear the cameras and strict guidelines are in place to ensure that the devices are used correctly and the retention of any footage will comply with legislation and national recommendations.

The cameras will not be permanently switched on and members of the public will be informed as soon as practicable that they are being recorded.

Officers will ‘dock’ their cameras at the end of each shift and recordings will be uploaded to a secure server and the memory of the camera is then wiped ready for the next user. The images will be deleted after 30 days unless they are required for evidential purposes.