Smile – you’re on clubbing camera!

11:10am Friday 1st June 2007

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Bouncers at The Works nightclub in Kingston have started wearing "head cams" to film footage of punters, so the club can prove what happened during any confrontation.

The two £1,500 camera headsets with full sound were brought in last weekend, and will now be in regular use at the club in St James' Road.

Manager Jason Watson said both security staff and customers would benefit.

He said: "We are protecting both sides - people's recollection of what they do when they have had a few drinks can be completely different from what actually happened. Seeing the camera when they come in makes people think about how they are behaving."

One of the head cams will be worn by a doorman and the second by a security staff member inside. If any trouble is caused inside, the security guard will arrive to film the incident as colleagues resolve the problem.

Mr Watson said the club already has a network of 50 CCTV cameras, but the new head cams will bring things down to a close-range level.

He said: "The positive safety aspects outweigh any concerns about Big Brother looking over your shoulder.

"There are some unsavoury characters around and we want to protect our customers from that. The police work with us to put a knife search arch in regularly, because we want people to think I'll go to The Works because it's safe there'."

The club has trialled headset cameras in the past but they were bulky and made bouncers' heads hot. But newer models are much more user-friendly.

Mr Watson added: "The statistics show that crime is going down in Kingston, but we need to play our part in that."

Paul Riordan from Kingstonfirst town centre management said several clubs in Kingston have used head cams and their benefits are well known.

He said: "The clubs work with the police and are on a radio system with each other. The head cams are a way of protecting the individual and keeping track of events."