DYFED-POWYS POLICE are set to be the first police force this side of the Atlantic to embrace new in car camera technology designed by Axon, the global leader in connected law enforcement technologies, and its United Kingdom subsidiary, Axon Public Safety UK Limited, Dyfed-Powys Police are the first force in England and Wales to be equipped to capture a true 360 degree picture of any traffic incident or crime on the roads.

These cameras are the first of their kind in the UK and will allow Dyfed-Powys officers to download vital video evidence directly (via a wireless system) and straight onto the digital evidence management system Axon Evidence (Evidence.com). This state of the art system is set to free up hours of police officer time, with instant digital upload rather than hours spent downloading and burning onto discs to store footage as potential evidence.

The in car camera system – called Axon Fleet 2 – is set to be taken up by forces across England and Wales and carries all the many benefits of Axon’s body-worn cameras which have now been adopted by14 forces in England and Wales.

Importantly for Dyfed-Powys this will mean using the same systems across all camera and evidence equipment meaning a true 360 degree ‘picture’ of any incident as well as huge time and cost savings and a more seamless service. All Dyfed-Powys’ cameras (body-worn and in-car) will sync on playback.

The benefits of Axon Fleet 2 are:

– Streamlined, innovative technology; capturing evidence and freeing up police officer time
– Increased accountability for officers – all incidents captured on camera, helping secure trust from the community
– A cost effective solution, with ‘front and back’ cameras as standard – thus allowing a full 360 degree picture of a specific incident or event
– The technology’s compliance with privacy regulations

Dyfed Powys police are rolling out Axon Fleet 2 across 31 vehicles including both armed response and traffic vehicles. The order for this five-year contract was received in the first quarter of 2019 and was shipped in the second quarter of 2019. This means that Dyfed-Powys are set to be the first force with a fully integrated system of body worn cameras, in car cameras and digital evidence platform. This integration means a seamless process of evidence gathering, streamlining the workflow with wireless upload – making the approach a cost effective one that ensures better working together (interoperability).

Catherine Davies, Project Manager for the introduction of Fleet 2 at Dyfed-Powys Police, said: “The introduction of in-car video within our fleet here at Dyfed-Powys Police means that officers now have yet another pair of eyes at scenes of road traffic collisions and other incidents, live time evidence of motoring offences and evidential footage during pursuits.

“This technology further improves accountability for us as a service and helps to protect our officers during often vulnerable times, when transporting prisoners and patrolling our many, many miles of road alone.”