Sefton shop owner raves about new body camera

A Sefton shop owner has praised Merseyside Police after benefiting from an innovative project supported by the Commissioner to tackle hate crime.

Hasau Zerener or ‘Zebbie’ was full of praise for Sefton’s Sigma team who have supported him through repeated incidents of hate crime.

Zebbie, who owns a small shop in South Road, Waterloo has worked with PC Gerrie McConaghy, Sefton’s Sigma Unit Hate Crime co-ordinator to tackle the abuse. As part of this support, Zebbie was given a slimline video body camera.

These tiny video cameras, just the size of an ID card holder, have crystal clear picture and sound quality. They have proved a big success during a recent trial in Knowsley where they have helped police investigate hate crimes and given local shopkeepers greater peace of mind.

Merseyside’s Police Commissioner Jane Kennedy was so impressed with their success she managed to secure funding from the Ministry of Justice to buy a further 48 of these specialist cameras to be used across the region.

The success of these cameras is already clear to Zebbie, who was eager to pass on his thanks to the Sigma team, telling how the camera has made him and his family feel “so much safer”.

Read more about the Commissioner’s initiative to tackle hate crime.