A £1.5 million investment will see Burton and Uttoxeter's cops equipped with new and improved body cameras.

Front-line officers across Staffordshire will wear the new cams to record evidence on patrol and responding to reports of crime.

Roughly 1,300 of the devices will be handed out by Staffordshire Police, which was the first force in the country to wear body cameras in 2012.

They have improved features including wider lenses, the ability to capture images at 145-degree angles, better battery life, higher-quality sound and images and the ability to record in the dark.

Assistant Chief Constable Nick Adderley said: "Body-worn video has proven to be a highly effective tool in gathering vital evidence and in securing guilty pleas from offenders as well as delivering real time transparency of the actions and decisions of those officers and staff who are wearing them.

"This is really important for both the officers and staff, as well as the community, as it follows for a greater level of accountability for our actions, therefore promoting confidence in the work that we do.

"As a pioneering force for this technology, we continue to develop and use this approach and are now in the process of replacing the 2012 issue cameras, with a new model that will give our officers and staff greater capability in capturing evidence.

"The new cameras have sharper images, enhanced sound quality and improved image capture at night.

"Every front line officer and PCSO will be personally issued with a new body worn video camera.

The improved body worn cameras
The improved body worn cameras

"This will continue to prove invaluable in securing best evidence, helping protect the public, as well as our staff, and providing greater reassurance in our policing services – helping us to keep our communities safer in Staffordshire."

The cameras will cost tax-payers £1.526 million and should be in place will all officers by March.

Police and crime commissioner, Matthew Ellis added: "Back in 2013, I offered Staffordshire Police the chance to equip all front-line officers with body worn video. Staffordshire was the first in the UK to do that and during the last four years they have proved their worth in helping to protect officers as well as ensuring the public are dealt with appropriately.

"Police services across the UK are now adopting this technology for the first time and officers, here in Staffordshire, have been pivotal over recent years in developing the way body worn video is used.

"It's now time to replace the original kit as part of on-going technology investment for Staffordshire Police to ensure they have the tools for the job in an ever more complex policing environment."

PCSO Dan Wilson, who patrols Stafford, will be one of the officers wearing a camera.

He said: "If I have to present evidence in court, the cameras record evidence from my perspective and present what I see and hear.

"The cameras capture everything as it happens, once the person on the other side of the camera realises they are being filmed they often calm down; it’s a fantastic tool for de-escalating situations."

The force's PC Sean Regan said: "The pre-record function is excellent as it gives me a tool to record spontaneous incidents as they occur.

"I've also found the cameras to be highly effective in gathering evidence when attending domestic incidents, as they capture the emotions and the voice of the victim."