COPS in Lancashire - are they our noble crime fighters or the instruments of a Big Brother state?

A story I covered for this week's Champion about the county constabulary rolling out cameras mounted on officers themselves (no, really) actually got me thinking about how the media, and the public in general, actually view the police.

Putting cameras on policemen sounds like a scenario dreamt up by George Orwell, and I'm sure I could have covered it that way if I'd really wanted to. Lancashire Constabulary - naturally - wanted to convey just how much the cameras are going to cut down on red tape and put their bobbies back onto the streets for longer, as did most of the politicians I spoke to.

The last thing I'd want to do is suggest hardworking police officers are actually some sort of Stasi stealth organisation hellbent on spying on every resident from Skelmersdale to Scarisbrick, but I'm sure that for every person who thinks cop cameras are a great idea there's another worried about civil liberties being eroded.

There are always at least two sides to every single story we cover, and half the fun of journalism is trying to find the perfect balance.

The full story is in this week's Champion (out Wednesday, July 29th, 2009). Is putting cameras on policemen a good idea? Let us know...

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