BODY cameras are failing police officers because of battery life problems, the Thames Valley Police federation claims.

The Oxford Mail revealed this month that TVP was planning on expanding the number of officers with body worn cameras and issuing new ones.

But current cameras – which cost between £300 and £400 each – are failing due to batteries running out on the job.

Graham Smith, chairman of the area's federation, the body which represents rank-and-file officers, said he would like to see new cameras be issued to every officer as part of their standard kit.

He added:"When batteries are not fully discharged, you destroy the batteries, and therefore you damage the effectiveness of a camera because they keep failing during the course of duty.

"I would like personal issue, but I do understand the force’s position that new replacement radios/mobile phones will be issued in 18 months’ time.

"There is a possibility going forward that they will have inbuilt cameras on them."

A Cambridge University study found complaints by members of the public against officers fell by 93 per cent over 12 months compared with the year before.

Almost 2,000 officers across four UK forces and two US police departments were monitored for the project.

However, Mr Smith has warned that while cameras can help in evidence gathering, they are not the catch-all solution they are often made out to be.

He said: "A camera can give a view of an incident, but only a 2D version of events. It doesn’t give you the 360 surround version, it doesn’t give you all the words and actions, it doesn’t give you the actions of people outside of the lens’ view.

"So you could be dealing with something in front of you but to your side you could have someone very aggressive, trying to attack you or threaten to attack you, and the camera doesn’t show that, it only shows where it’s pointing.

"Although it helps in certain situations, you’ve got to take any incident, and take all the evidence from that incident before you judge anybody. That includes the public, and that definitely includes police officers during the course of the duty."