Police Bike CCTV on Trial

Photo Scottish Communications

Police bikes in Perth are being fitted with handlebar mounted cameras. Local company Scottish Communications was presented with a challenge by Tayside Police – to deliver a system that could produce useable pictures from a moving bike.

Managing Director Paul Gibson said that it had never been done before, the main problem was the stabilisation of the camera. The company designed software which copes with bikes being used off-road and even at night.

Chief Superintendent Matt Hamilton, of Tayside Police, told the BBC, that the combination of bikes and CCTV was an important crime-fighting asset. “Cycle patrols give you a lot of benefits. They can go places faster than people on foot, and places where cars can’t.”

Police in Edinburgh introduced a Bicycle Team earlier this year. How long before they get cameras to use?