Armed police officers in Hertfordshire will now be equipped with body worn video cameras in a bid to help bring “quicker” justice to victims.

The cameras have been rolled out to all officers within the tri-force armed policing unit (APU) across Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire today (Monday, September 25).

The cameras are already used by response officers and have led to “quicker justice for victims as well as providing reassurance for both the public and officers during incidents”.

Chief inspector Julia Hands from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, and Hertfordshire APU said: “Our firearms officers welcome the introduction of the body worn video cameras and we hope that they will also be welcomed by the public.

“The cameras allow for an accurate account to be recorded from the scene of an incident, which is particularly key in the highly pressurised incidents that our firearms officers have to attend, when split second decisions need to be made.

“We believe that the cameras will increase our transparency and this in turn will help to improve the public’s confidence and trust in our firearms officers, who work incredibly hard on a daily basis in the face of serious threats to protect the public and fight crime.”