Takeaway staff will be given body cameras to record race hate crimes
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Version 0 of 1. Staff in Chinese and Indian takeaway restaurants as well as shops run by ethnic minorities on Merseyside are to be provided with body cameras to record evidence of race hate crimes. The Ministry of Justice-backed initiative is the latest example of video devices being deployed for law enforcement purposes: more than 500 Metropolitan police officers are already wearing body cameras, other forces are adopting them and magistrates courts across the country are being equipped with digital screens. The Merseyside scheme is one of the more innovative projects that has been put forward by police and crime commissioners (PCCs) for funding by central government. The £35,000 grant will pay for 48 miniature cameras, charging stations and data storage units. They will be provided to workers in takeaways and convenience stores who have been targeted in the past. The video devices are contained in a badge worn on a neck lanyard. When the shopkeeper feels threatened they activate the camera which displays a sign that it is recording. Chinese restaurants have been among those targeted in the past. The video devices will also help those serving alone in a shop or those exposed to assaults and insults late at night. Attacks by alcohol-fuelled customers after pub closing hours have long been a problem for staff in Chinese and Indian restaurants across the UK. Some have installed their own CCTV security systems. The police commissioner for Merseyside, Jane Kennedy, said: "A lot of the problem has been with corner shops owned by Asian families in white neighbourhoods that are being targeted by youths. "We have been running a small pilot programme for the past year after a detective on one of our Sigma teams, which deal with race hate crimes, came across the badge cameras. When someone feels threatened they simply slide aside the main part of the badge to reveal a camera emblem and a yellow sign saying that it is recording. "The quality of the images is superb. They have been used in court. When young people see the video sign they often stop misbehaving, although some still behave abominably. "Suspects often plead guilty once they see the evidence. Officers say that when they interview young people with their parents, the parents are really shocked. The cameras also reassure victims that what is happening to them will not be ignored. Sometimes the camera simply defuses the situation." A growing number of courts are being provided with screens to enable suspects held on remand to take part in preliminary hearings, without having to be transported to and from prison, as well as to allow video evidence from police officers to be shown during trials. Altogether the MoJ is announcing £12m in grants on Thursday to support victims of crime. Other initiatives also involve spending on technological solutions. Video links are being set up to enable victims of sexual violence give evidence remotely so that they do not have to go to court where they might meet their attacker. Personal alarms for victims of domestic violence are being purchased by commissioners in several areas. The £12.5m has come from additional receipts from offenders, raised through the victim surcharge and increased financial penalties such as penalty notices for disorder. Criminal justice minister Damian Green said: "Victims of crime need and deserve the best possible support to cope with what they have been through. The excellent and innovative ideas put forward for this fund show exactly why PCCs are best placed to understand the needs of their local communities and commission the majority of victims' services. I've no doubt they will make a difference to victims up and down the country." |