Cop-cam heads our way

Australia Sunday Mail
May. 06, 2006

QUEENSLAND police and sniffer dogs soon could be equipped with head-mounted cameras to record evidence as they work.

The miniature camera systems are in use in the United Kingdom and the camera-makers plan to give a detailed presentation to Queensland police this year.

Steve Rodgers, of UK-based Cylon Systems, said demand for the $3600 cameras had been huge since their December launch.

"We have had numerous contacts and requests from Australian companies to be distributors," he said.

"We intend to contact the Queensland police very soon."

The Queensland Police Service has indicated serious interest in the cameras.

"QPS is always prepared to look at technology being used in other jurisdictions and we'd definitely want to have a look at this," a police spokeswoman said.

Australian Council for Civil Liberties president Terry O'Gorman said the cameras could be a useful law enforcement device, but cautioned that it should be made mandatory for Queensland police to use them from the point of contact with any member of the public.

"We should not have a situation where police can pick and choose when they want to use the evidence," he said.

"There are also issues of privacy to consider. We can't have a situation where police can enter someone's home on a police matter and then sit around and comment on the decor, back at the station."

The Cylon Body Worn Surveillance System takes the form of a miniature camera fitted to a policeman's cap.

With advances in both camera and recorder technology, the quality of the images captured is now good enough to use in court.

Last month, a British woman became the first person to be convicted by evidence filmed on one of the cameras.

They are also being used in the UK in a campaign against domestic violence.

The cameras have been supplied to 30 forces in England and Scotland.

Miniature cameras are also being used with police dogs to gather evidence in the UK.

Previous camera systems had a heavy battery pack which meant dogs became tired quickly and suffered from decreased mobility.