LONDON — Britain is taking its surveillance to a new level — strapping video cameras to police officers' heads, the government said Friday.
Advocates say the devices will cut down on paperwork and supply the nation's justice system with footage of victims, witnesses and suspects.
Minister for Security Tony McNulty said judges and jurors trying a case would be able to "see and hear the incident through the eyes and ears of the officer at the scene."
The Home Office has allocated of $6 million to fund the devices for Britain's 42 police forces — enough to buy more than 2,000 cameras.
Police already use handheld cameras to monitor crowded events and their head-mounted counterparts, worn around the ear or clipped on to a helmet, have been used on a trial basis by the police in Plymouth, in southwest England, since 2005. Similar cameras are used by security guards at sports venues to hunt for soccer hooligans. MagazineLane.com
