Cash-strapped police forces could soon be allowed to interview suspects at the scene of crimes using body cameras rather than in police custody, Sky News has learned.
The chief constable of Hampshire Police, who is the country's leading expert in the technology, says body cameras have the power to transform the criminal justice system - but civil liberties groups have expressed concerns over security.
Seventy-eight per cent of police forces in Britain are now using body cameras in varying quantities.
They are usually used to record incidents, where an officer is in a vulnerable position, or where footage can be used later as evidence in court.
Each device costs £500 and the Metropolitan Police, the biggest force in Britain, is spending millions equipping 20,000 frontline officers with body-worn cameras.
However, it is Hampshire constabulary that has taken the national lead. Specialists from the force have even travelled to the White House to help implement them in the United States.
Hampshire Police's chief constable Andy Marsh told Sky News: "I am working closely with the Home Office and they have agreed in principle that we can run a pilot in a number of forces to see if we can effectively use the cameras to interview suspects of certain offences, other than at police stations.
"I think this will lead to swifter, fairer and more importantly cheaper justice."
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