Crews in Exeter, Plymouth and Bristol will wear the cameras (the Edesix VB-300, supplied by Motorola Solutions) during the trial and if it is successfully, they could be rolled out across the Trust. Any recording not used as evidence will be automatically deleted after 30 days.
There were 1,285 recorded incidents of violent or aggressive behaviour towards SWASFT staff between August 2018 and August 2019, up 24 per cent compared with the previous year.
A recently study published by West London NHS Trust showed that the wearing of body-worn video cameras led to a reduction in the seriousness of aggression and violence in reported incidents and modified patient behaviour in a positive way.
Ken Wenman, SWASFT’s chief executive, said: “Like all our emergency services colleagues, our crews and control staff work in extremely difficult circumstances. They are often under threat of attack or abuse, and staff members are assaulted every day. That is totally unacceptable.
“We want to take every possible measure to ensure our employees are safe at work. Using body worn video cameras will discourage people from abusing and assaulting our staff. They will also enable us to provide evidence of abuse or assaults when they do happen so the police can bring more prosecutions against people who assault our staff.”
Fergus Mayne, country manager for UK and Ireland at Motorola Solutions, said: “South Western Ambulance Service joins a number of organisations around the world that are looking to video and in particular body worn cameras to improve public safety. We’re extremely proud to be a part of this important trial that will play a vital role in protecting ambulance staff who are on the frontline every day, saving lives.”
