Head cam helps assist village police

A VILLAGE PCSO has been given another pair of eyes in her bid to tackle crime.

Police community support officer Karen Juniper, who covers Forest Row, Coleman's Hatch, Hartfield, Holtye and Hammerwood, can now use a head camera to assist with her duties.

The piece of equipment is one of three recently introduced to Wealden by Sussex Police, using £80,000 of Home Office funding.

Pcso Juniper said: "I fully support it, because it means I have an extra pair of eyes helping me. I can only see it being a good, positive addition to our resources and I look forward to using it more often."

The cameras, which cost £1,000 each, take visual and sound recordings and the footage can be used as evidence to support officers in their work.

They can be used by police constables and PCSOs during their normal patrols and are particularly effective in dealing with anti-social behaviour and domestic violence, according to Wealden neighbourhood policing inspector Richard Allum.

"These cameras are designed for officers to wear during their patrols to assist with evidence gathering," he said. "It's been shown elsewhere that they can be a terrific help when dealing with suspects as they show exactly what happened at the time the officers dealt with the incident."

Pcso Juniper said the camera has been well received by young people since it was introduced.

"On one occasion I came into contact with a group of youngsters and they said it was a very good idea," she added. "I was quite surprised by their response, but it helps them as much as it helps us.

"Their immediate reaction made them believe it would be used to catch them out if they were up to something. But it could be used to their advantage if they came into trouble in another situation.

"My camera can record and support my statement to help protect people and prove what has actually happened."