BODY CAMERAS HIT THE STREETS

Body cameras are now required to be worn by all Albany police officers on call-outs and are expected to be rolled out across the Great Southern in the next few months.

Great Southern police Supt Ian Clarke said the cameras were a “natural evolution” of modern police work.

“They provide a great opportunity to see first-hand what the police are dealing with on the ground at the the time,” Supt Clarke said.

“They also provide excellent evidence to the court.”

Supt Clarke said the body-worn cameras were introduced several weeks ago after all officers went through a training process.

“It gives a very clear view of what has actually occurred at that incident but they’re not the absolutely be-all and end-all, so they’re not completely everything we’ll rely on,” he said.

“They’re just another tool the police is now using to provide the best possible service to the community.”

The cameras do not film constantly and are activated at the press of a button, or automatically if an officer draws their gun.

The footage is stored using secure cloud-based technology and officers are not be able to alter or delete recorded vision.

Supt Clarke said the technology could also back-capture vision.

He said all officers in the Great Southern region were expected to start wearing the cameras in the coming months.

“We have officers in Brookton wearing them now and they’ll just continue to be rolled out,” Supt Clarke said.