A surveillance camera, mounted on the temple of a uniformed police constable, is spearheading a new approach to evidence gathering at domestic violence incidents in County Durham.
The two-week initiative was launched in South Stanley, Craghead and South Moor, singled out by police intelligence gathering systems as offending "hotspots."
If the pilot proves successful a further five high-tech cameras, about the size of a man’s thumb and costing £1,600 each, will be introduced to extend the scheme across the north west of the county. Money to fund the experiment has been promised by the Derwentside Community Safety Partnership whose members are committed to reducing all violent crime across the district.
Figures for offences of violence against the person (VAP) in Derwentside, which include incidents of domestic violence, have jumped from just over 900 to nearly 1,400 in just three years. Examination of statistics has confirmed most are committed between 10pm and 3am on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
What they say
Inspector Michael Button, who is overseeing the camera’s introduction, said: "Officers attending the scene of a reported domestic incident will be able to instantly capture images of the injuries and distress of victims, any damage within the premises and the naming of a suspect. Suspects will be arrested, questioned and the striking digitally-recorded images from the camera can be used as part of the evidence placed before a court. The batteries in the cameras have a running time of 400 hours and the constant display of the time and date provides proof of the integrity of the footage."
During the two-week trial, and any extension of the scheme, the cameras will be predominantly used to record at the scenes of domestic violence. But officers will be encouraged to switch them on when they are called to other incidents of violence, disorder or anti-social behaviour.
"The introduction of the domestic violence camera is just one part of a range of tactics being used to tackle all forms of violence across Derwentside. Uniformed officers have been using two hand-held video cameras to go into pubs and night clubs in the Consett area on the busiest nights – Friday and Saturday and through into the early hours. What we have established is the majority of perpetrators and their victims are teenagers who are drinking under-age. During our tours of licensed premises with the cameras recorded VAP was reduced to zero. We now plan to speak to all licensees to remind them to more vigilant ˆ particularly when it comes to serving teenagers and especially those who are the worse the wear for drink," said Insp Button.
