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Move for all West Midlands Police officers to have body worn cameras

Body cameras are set to transform the working lives of West Midlands Police officers, it was revealed today.

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Trials in Wolverhampton and parts of Birmingham proved so successful the force now aims to have all response officers wearing one while on duty by April next year.

The pilot scheme proved that the cameras - worn on the chest area of the officer's protective vest and the size of a standard smart phone - can produce major changes in significant areas of the job.

They cut the number of incidents where force had to be used while complaints from the public also fell.

There was a rise in prosecutions, charges and early guilty pleas from suspects after inarguable evidence of what actually happened was provided by the film footage shot as the incident unfolded.

A report to the Strategic Policing and Crime Board of West Midlands Police stated: "Ongoing austerity measures imposed by central government mean the force must take advantage of opportunities to improve efficiency and reduce or prevent demand.

"Body worn cameras present such an opportunity.

"It is hoped they will be issued to all response officers by April 2016."

The six month trial in Birmingham covered the equivalent of 430 shifts and only involved officers wearing high visibility stab vests. They were not used in public order situations, the policing of football matches or firearms operations.

As a result there was an overall ten per cent rise in suspects being charged together with a nine per cent increase - to 66 per cent - of all those accused of a criminal offence taking advantage of the early guilty plea scheme.

This offers a third reduction in the proposed sentence for those who admit their guilt at the earliest possible stage of the judicial process.

The figures were compared with those of officers not wearing a camera during the same period when there was far greater need for physical restraint and handcuffing.

Overall there was a 54 per cent cut in the need for officers to use force during confrontational encounters when wearing a camera.

All frontline Staffordshire Police officers were given body cams last year.

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