EAST Lothian police officers are now wearing body cameras as part of a national rollout.
Police Scotland began deploying the cameras in Edinburgh, the Lothians and Scottish Borders today (Wednesday) as part of a wider rollout that started in Tayside in late March.
Deputy chief constable Jane Connors said: "The national rollout of the body-worn video cameras is a key priority for us and is one of the ways that we can work towards our vision of safer communities, less crime and to support the safety of our officers.
"As Halloween and Bonfire Night approaches, having officers on the streets with the capability to record audio and visual evidence can and should act as a deterrent to those considering engaging in criminal activity.
"Investigations into fireworks-related crimes can and will continue following Bonfire Night, and anyone who commits an offence will be pursued and body-worn video footage will aid those investigations."
About 1,800 officers across the region will be equipped with the devices in the coming weeks, including road policing officers and dog handlers.
Since their introduction in March, more than 140,000 recordings have been captured by the devices, with almost 32,000 hours of footage uploaded.
Of this, more than 8,500 media files have been exported to Police Scotland’s digital evidence sharing system DESC.
Angela Constance, justice secretary, said: "I welcome this important milestone in the national rollout of body-worn video, which can increase public confidence in policing and improve safety for officers and staff.
"It can also benefit victims and witnesses of crime by allowing cases to be brought to court sooner."
The cameras are intended to help de-escalate incidents, support officer safety and improve the quality of evidence presented in court.
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