Staffordshire police officers to be given body cameras

Mr Ellis said the cameras would be given to all officers on patrol, following a successful trial

Body cameras are to be given to more than 1,000 police officers in Staffordshire to capture criminal evidence on film.

The county's police and crime commissioner, Matthew Ellis, said about £100,000 would be spent to issue the equipment to all frontline officers.

The cameras are the size of a mobile phone and clip on to police vests.

Mr Ellis said: "The cameras will be extremely useful in gathering evidence which can be submitted to court."

He said the cameras would be given to all officers out on patrol, including police community support officers and specials, after a successful trial.

"I think there's a great advantage in officers having these cameras, it means they are safer and able to capture incidents such as anti-social behaviour," he added.

Staffordshire police is planning to save about £34m by 2015, partly due to budget cuts from the government of £38.7m over the next four years.

Mr Ellis said he believed the cameras were "good value for money."

"As police office numbers go down I want to see more individuals patrolling so that we spread officers out more and I think that body cams are an excellent additional means of police officers having some extra protection," he said.

"This will pay for itself many times over in the future and above all it's about modernising Staffordshire Police and making the most of technology."