ROBOT cameras are being worn by security officers at the Royal London Hospital in a crack-down on violence against staff. The hospital in Whitechapel is believed to be the first in the NHS to introduce surveillance cameras worn by security staff
ROBOT cameras are being worn by security officers at the Royal London Hospital in a crack-down on violence against staff.
The hospital in Whitechapel is believed to be the first in the NHS to introduce surveillance cameras worn by security staff.
The robocams’ are the size of a small torch and are worn over the ear or attached to clothing.
They have already been used by two security officers in A&E as part of a trial.
The cameras can also record sound and have a seven-inch monitor attached so the footage can be used as evidence.
SUSPECTS
But critics say patients visiting A&E are being treated as suspects.
“A camera is only as good as a pair of eyes,” said a spokesman for the No CCTV’ campaign.
“Before cameras were around, we would just have a witness statement and the security guard would have to give evidence himself.
“This makes a mockery of the security guards. What is the point of them if they need a camera too? This is a nasty trend.”
There were 137 attacks against staff at the Royal London in just 12 months, according to a Freedom of Information request to the hospital’s NHS trust by the East London Advertiser. These attacks included 50 where doctors and nurses were stabbed with knives and pens, punched, kicked and had their hair pulled.
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