http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/dynamic/news/story.html?in_review_id=152329&in_review_text_id=123294 -------------------- [News] New police helmets to get spy cameras [Image] by Lucy Lawrence Spy cameras are to be hidden in police helmets so beat officers can film people on the streets. The equipment, which will be faithful to the traditional police helmet in its shape, is being developed as the latest weapon in the surveillance-led fight against crime. The idea for the new helmet came after the redesign of riot helmets equipped with radio and a secret camera, which can relay live images to a base unit or record proceedings as they happen. The prototype is being unveiled this month and although the equipment was envisaged for use by mounted police, its designers believe it will be used by other departments such as firearms and riot squad officers. The Metropolitan Police is one of the forces which has expressed interest in the new helmets, early designs of which have been used in Cleveland. Mounted officers in Cleveland have used the equipment at football matches and successfully used the taped evidence in prosecutions. Officers believe it also acts as a deterrent because troublemakers cannot tell which officer has a camera and which does not. The development is certain to alarm civil rights campaigners, however. Campaign groups have already condemned as intimidation a project in Brixton where officers armed with hand-held cameras take close-up video footage of suspects as they move around their neighbourhood. The new tactic has seen a 40 per cent drop in muggings. Eric Staples, of manufacturers Helmet Integrated Systems, defended the technology. "We do not envisage that bobbies in villages will be walking around wearing secret cameras. "It is more likely that officers who patrol high-crime areas would be equipped with the cameras," he said today. Chief Superintendent Stephen French, of the Met's Public Order branch, said today: "I would not dispute any advance in technology and would look at anything new in that area. "As far as the riot helmets with cameras, we agree with the concept completely and are developing our own. "Intelligence-driven policing is the way forward and anything to be done to facilitate that should be welcomed." [Image]Email this article to a friend � Associated Newspapers Ltd., 02 July 1999 Terms and Conditions This Is London [Go Back] [Image] [Image] [Image]
