London Police To Wear Head-Mounted Cameras

Story link: London Police To Wear Head-Mounted Cameras by Brian Turner

Police in London are to wear head-mounted cameras which will record everything in the direction the officer is looking. The cameras are approximately the size of an AA battery. They are able to record high-quality images and are designed to be a deterrent for anti-social behaviour.

The head-cams are being tested by eight Metropolitan beat officers. If the trial is successful, all police officers will eventually be provided with the equipment.

With the growth in the surveillance society it has been suggested that eventually all citizens could be required to wear the cameras, effectively keeping all citizens under surveillance. Video data could be relayed back to a central database where transgressions would be recorded by a computer meaning that one citizen could inform on another by merely glancing in their direction.

It has also been announced that phone boxes in London will be used to house digital video recorders. The number of people using phone booths has fallen dramatically as more people own mobile phones.

Video of people acting suspiciously will be instantly relayed to police forces around the country. The scheme is being tested in Tower Hill.