Police Officers in England and Wales will be issued head cameras which will produce video footage that can be used as evidence in court. The footage will make it more difficult for offenders to deny their involvement as it will show what the police officers witnessed from an eye-level point of view. The project will be funded by the Home Office and will cost approximately £3 million. According to British Crime Survey’s figures for violence committed by an intimate partner, last year 60,000 women were raped, 660,000 women were sexually assaulted and 120,000 women had been choked or strangled by a partner. Many, including the Police Minister Tony McNulty, welcome the head cameras and claim they will be very effective in prosecuting offenders; they also hope they will serve as a deterrent once it becomes clear the footage will be used in court.
Compiled from: “Head Cameras 'Help Tackle Abuse',” BBC News, 12 July 2007.