Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council is to equip its environmental protection officers with body-worn cameras.

The authority intends to procure 12 of the devices, which will be used to capture environmental infractions or criminal offences. The cameras will be worn during officers’ shifts, which typically last about 10 hours. Officers are on duty seven days a week, the council said.

“Body cameras are required to capture incidents of an environmental or criminal nature, and provide documentation on alleged offenders,” it added.

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The council is looking for potential suppliers to provide quotes for the provision of a dozen cameras. Bids are invited until 24 April, with a contract scheduled to be awarded on 1 May.

Last year the Environment Agency trialled the use of body-worn cameras by its officers, in an attempt to tackle assaults and other hostile behaviour from members of the public. The cameras are also now used by a number of police forces across the country, including London’s Metropolitan Police Service (where the cameras are above pictured in use), which undertook a force-wide rollout of the technology in 2016. Last year all 5,600 prison officers in England and Wales were also equipped with cameras.

The metropolitan borough of Sandwell comprises six towns in the West Midlands: Oldbury; Rowley Regis; Smethwick; Tipton; Wednesbury; and West Bromwich. The council serves a total of more than 300,000 citizens.