All frontline Met police officers are being issued with new state-of-the-art bodycams after a string of high-profile complaints about alleged racial profiling.
The devices are capable of live-streaming footage from stop-and-searches in the street back to a control room so that senior officers can help de-escalate rows.
It follows the recent cases of Team GB athlete Bianca Williams and MP Dawn Butler, who claimed they were both stopped in cars by police because they are black.
Scotland Yard said 24,000 Axon Body 3 cams, which record clearer audio and video in low light, will replace body-worn video devices introduced in 2016.
They also provide faster uploading of evidence and battery charging.
Officers from the Met’s Violent Crime Taskforce, who carry out searches to tackle knife and gun crime, and colleagues in the south-west and east have already received the cameras.
The roll-out is due to be completed by April. Superintendent Jude Beehag-Fisher said high-quality footage would help support the criminal justice process and provide “an independent witness in the case of any complaints”.
