Body cameras for Sheffield door staff after city centre stabbings

The council's bringing them in to discourage violence

Author: Ben BasonPublished 24th Jan 2018

It's hoped body-worn cameras for door staff could help tackle violence on nights out in Sheffield after a stabbing at a city centre bar over Christmas.

Two clubs in the city were closed after trouble over the festive period, including Crystal where 6 men got stab or slash wounds.

Now the council want every member of door staff in Sheffield to wear a camera to discourage violence - and gather evidence if anything does happen.

Richard Eyre heads up city centre management for the council - he says they should make a real difference:

"Anybody who's intent on causing trouble will now be videoed by our public surveillence CCTV which is across the city but also door personnel will have their own cameras. They'll put those on and they'll be able to record. In 9 out of 10 occurences that will calm that situation down and anybody intent on causing trouble will move elsewhere.

"If someone's had a bit too much to drink, a bit boistrous, intent on causing trouble and disrupting somebody else's night out, the door personnel can put the camera on and it does calm people down. 1 out of 10 people, that person will be intent on carrying out a criminal act. If they do that, we have the evidence to be able to prosecute them successfully"

It comes as Sheffield's been named as one of the safest city in the country for nights out - it's been given a Purple Fag award for the seventh sucessive year

Richard says it's a really safe city:

"We've got a really strong evening and night time economy partnership in the city centre. Actual crime is very very low in the city centre - there have been one or two high-profile incidents so we need to make sure we work with those venues and try and mitigate as much as we can anyone intent on causing trouble"