Police Scotland to roll out body cameras from next summer

Body cameras were introduced in Durham Constabulary, where Ms Farrell was previously chief constable, in 2015.

The devices, which can be affixed to an officer’s clothing, record audio and video footage when they respond to an incident.

They can also act as an independent witness for potential court cases.

Police Scotland’s deputy chief officer David Page previously told MSPs there was “no guarantee” they would be available by 2024.

But Ms Farrell was confident the initial stages would be ready by mid 2024.

She said: “It is quite straight forward when it is on quite a small scale, but we are bringing eight crime systems from the eight legacy forces together.

“This is a larger scale but we are looking for the roll out to start next summer.”

Scottish Police Federation general secretary David Kennedy welcomed the move.

He also described increased funding for the force, announced by Deputy First Minister Shona Robison on Tuesday, as “encouraging”.

But he added: “There is still a long way to go to make up the billions of pounds that have historically been stripped from the budget.

“Continual proper financial investment is needed to make policing the priority that it should be.”