Baildon Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT) is to receive cutting-edge high-tech equipment to help in its fight against crime in the village. Baildon Parish Council is to present the NPT with two “headcams” – worth £2200.

The cameras, which are about the size of an AA battery, are worn discretely by police officers on the sides of their heads. It can hold up to 12 hours of footage and sound recordings, which it can then feed back to a digital recorder. These cameras have been funded by the Baildon Parish Council for use by local officers, and are currently used by several Police forces across the country, where they are proving to be very successful in recording evidence and reducing crime.

Training of the police officers in the use of the Cameras will commence on Monday 19th May and you should start to see them being used around Baildon from then. 

Paul Marfell of the Baildon Parish Council said: “Our vision is a Baildon free of anti social behaviour and this can only be achieved if the highest level of effort can be sustained by the community and its police. We are delighted to offer our support to these efforts by providing this equipment. The use of “headcam” devices will lead to an increase in convictions of offenders, compared with those incidents where the cameras were not used. We feel that the cameras will help the Parish Council in its aim to improve the quality of the lives of the people of Baildon.”

Police Sergeant Richard Baildon, who can be seen here wearing the equipment, said: “We are very grateful to the Parish Council for purchasing this equipment on our behalf. Baildon is very safe and local officers have worked very hard to take positive action against the minority of individuals that act in an irresponsible and anti social manner. We firmly believe that these cameras will further increase public safety and confidence by recording first hand the behaviour of those witnessed engaging in such activities,.”

“The use of body worn cameras has the potential to significantly improve the quality of evidence provided by police officers in the drive to reduce crime, the fear of crime and increase the proportion of offenders brought to justice.”

Phillip Davies MP said "It is good that Baildon Parish Council and the local police are working well together and I hope that these HeadCams will mean more criminals in Baildon are brought to justice in the future"