Essex council give staff body cams to wear at work
It's to combat antisocial behaviour
Last updated 23rd Jan 2022
Staff at an Essex council will wear body cameras during work to fight antisocial behaviour.
Frontline workers at Tendring District Council will be given mini cameras, like those worn by police, to capture evidence in cases such as littering, dog fouling and fly-tipping.
They bought 26 cameras, which cost £17,000.
Councillor Carlo Guglielmi, deputy leader of Tendring District Council, hopes the cameras will help combat a common problem in Tendring:
"Another problem that we seem to constantly be bombarded with is dog-fouling. It's one of the most antisocial things that people can do. That's another thing the cameras will help to catch people doing."
It's also helped they'll help protect staff from attack, when they attend licensed premises or evictions, for example, by acting as a deterrent.
They'll also be able to collect footage should officers be physically or verbally abused which can be used to investigate incidents, but the Councillor hopes it won't get to that:
"We hope the fact that our officers will be carrying them will be deterrent in itself, and that people will think twice before they start misbehaving or doing anything they shouldn't be doing."