Edinburgh shopkeepers get body cameras to tackle racist attacks
Police are giving shopkeepers covert body cameras to help them protect themselves from racist attacks in Edinburgh.
The £75 mini body cams are being issued to victims of hate crimes in the north of the capital.
The "discrete" video cameras are the size of a USB stick and will be offered to staff who have experienced a traumatic or repeated attacks.
Shopkeepers will have to display a sign that CCTV is operating.
Police issued the first camera last week, and hope the scheme will be rolled out to a wider area in the future.
Insp Mark Rennie, of Police Scotland, said: "We often find that store security guards and shop staff receive racist abuse when they challenge shoplifters or refuse purchases.
"It's totally unwarranted and unacceptable, and these cameras are intended to provide reassurance to staff who have experienced such an incident, by offering a deterrent and helping to assist police collect evidence to identify offenders.
"This will increase our opportunities to arrest those responsible, take appropriate action to put them before the courts, and prevent them from being able to use the shop in the future.
"Although the devices are discreet, they are small enough to be worn on the body to ensure that vulnerable staff have access to the recording facility at all times and in areas of their premises that previously would not have been covered by their own CCTV."