CRIME will be captured on camera in Suffolk after the launch of a new initiative, it emerged today.

CRIME will be captured on camera in Suffolk after the launch of a new initiative, it emerged today.

Headcams, tiny cameras worn on the side of police officers' heads or helmets, will record what the officers see and hear as they go about their duties.

Several other forces across the country already use the cameras and Suffolk police said they had helped to increase conviction rates and reduce anti-social behaviour.

The money for the cameras, which will be trailed in Bury St Edmunds, Haverhill, Newmarket and Eye, comes from the Home Office and the cameras will be in operation from Monday.

Western area operations manager, superintendent Jon Brighton, said: “The cameras are easy to use and as they're hands-free they don't get in the way of an officer doing their job. In fact officers will have less paperwork to do when what they see is caught on camera.

“It will also provide extra reassurance for the public when they see these cameras out and about.

“A picture paints a thousand words and a video recording from the scene of an incident will capture compelling evidence of the activities of suspects. It will enable the raw emotion and action to be replayed in the courts that could never be captured in a written statement.

“We will monitor the impact of these cameras in west Suffolk and should they prove a useful policing tool we will look to introduce them countywide by early 2008.”