Invercargill City Council staff wearing body cameras after poor behaviour incidents

Environmental compliance officer Jeremy Bond, equipped with a body camera. Photo / Supplied

Staff at the Invercargill City Council have begun wearing body cameras to dissuade poor behaviour towards them from members of the public.

Environmental Services Manager Betty Holden-Tzanoudakis said there had been 18 recorded incidents of poor behaviour from members of the public towards staff between July 2019 and July 2020.

Those incidents prompted ICC staff such as Environmental Compliance Officer Jeremy Bond to use body cameras when out on jobs.

About 30 councils used the technology and the experience has shown the cameras acted as a deterrent.

People were less likely to become abusive when they knew they were being filmed, she said.

"Our staff are experienced and professional, and the nature of their work means they often need to deal with situations that can escalate quickly."

The cameras were trialled earlier in the year, when council staff received training and guidelines for their use.

Staff would wear a label advising people they were wearing a camera. All footage would be held securely and released if there was an incident to investigate.