THE rollout of body worn video cameras to frontline officers with North Yorkshire Police will start within weeks.

However, the total rollout to all frontline officers would be dependent on savings made elsewhere in the force, The Press can reveal.

As we reported last August, the force only had around 30 cameras in use across the region, between more than 1,300 officers. In September 2016 The Press also revealed the force had decided against investing in body worn cameras, as it was felt they were not technologically developed enough at that point.

This week, Superintendent Mike Walker - the force's operational technology lead who has led the project - said the introduction of the devices to all officers was "an important step forward" for North Yorkshire Police, and the public should see cameras on the streets within weeks.

Supt Walker said: "The technology will be an invaluable addition to our officer’s kit which will help us to gather evidence against offenders even when the victim is reluctant to press charges.

"We will begin the roll out of body worn cameras to all Authorised Firearm Officers at the end of June. This will be followed by the introduction of body worn cameras throughout the summer to officers carrying Tasers, officers responding to domestic incidents and those working in custody suites. There will be ongoing review throughout 2018 to assess the feasibility of providing all uniformed Police Officers and PCSOs with the body worn technology in the future."

The importance of the use of cameras was highlighted last week in a video which showed officers from Gwent Police dealing with a man who was threatening them with a pair of large kitchen knives. Despite repeated requests to put down the blades, Tony Buttigieg continued to threaten them, and was Tasered. Videos from officers at the scene were used as part of the prosecution and Buttigieg was jailed for four years for attacking police.

Julia Mulligan, Police and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire, said she had approved a business case for £1.4m for the phased rollout of cameras across the force as part of "a wider investment into modern policing", but the funding for the cameras came with a caveat.

She said: "This investment is however contingent on the Chief Constable saving money in other areas in order to facilitate this investment. The public should start seeing the cameras used from late summer onwards.

"The roll out will be in stages, focusing first on Authorised Firearms and Taser Officers, and then onto other parts of policing in various phases. Each stage will be assessed for value for money and the benefits the new equipment has brought, and any concerns about usage. A suite of new policies is being drafted to ensure the cameras are used appropriately, and technology is already in place to protect privacy, for example automatically blurring out faces in the background of footage. To that end, I will ensure a progress report is published at the relevant time."