Wolverhampton bouncers to be fitted with cameras in crime crackdown bid

Door staff at 21 of the city's most popular venues are being given body-worn cameras to film their interactions with people during a night out.

The cameras will be worn on the lapels of bouncers' coats at venues such as the Civic and Wulfrun halls, Faces, Yates's, Royal London, Hogshead and Popworld.

Research shows that reported crime can fall by more than 80 per cent when the body cameras are used.

The cameras, which have a CCTV label and a light, are similar to the ones worn by police and have been designed to record audio and video in low light conditions.

Councillor Elias Mattu, cabinet member for leisure and communities, said: "This innovative project, utilising cutting edge technology, has brought together all of the city centre's biggest venues who will use the cameras to once again demonstrate the joined up approach to managing night life in Wolverhampton.

"These cameras are proven to reduce crime and fear of crime and we are delighted to have secured funding from the Police & Crime Commissioner for this important initiative.

"Along with other measures such as taxi marshalls, the safe haven and the radio link, this latest scheme reinforces the message that Wolverhampton offers a great and a safe night out."

The council successfully bid for £15,000 from the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner's office and purchased the cameras from Wolverhampton-based firm Robocam, which also supplies UK police forces.

Door staff in the city have completed training in how to operate the cameras, which will be distributed to the venues over the coming weeks.

The use of body cams is rapidly becoming common practice for any company with frontline workers in regular contact with the public.

They work as a deterrent for crime and aggression and ensure high-quality footage can be used as evidence should an incident take place.

Footage from body-worn cameras has already been used as evidence in a number of successful prosecutions across the country.

The introduction of the cameras are a continuation of the city council's recent work to improve safety in the city centre.

These include the the Safer Nights initiative, launched last November, where the Epic Youth Café based on Lichfield Street acted as somewhere safe and warm for people of all ages to wait for a licensed taxi after their night out.