The chest-mounted audio and visual device is designed to collect evidence, and record interactions with others, all of which can then be saved and live-streamed to remote command stations around the region.

The BWV technology first made its debut in 2013 and 2014, before being supplied to frontline officers at Sydney’s Eastern Beaches in September 2015.

After a successful three year period in use in the metropolitan district, the body cameras are now being rolled out to more than 500 regional and rural areas, alongside specific metropolitan hubs.

It’s a “positive” addition to the area’s effectiveness, and will complement other strategies in tackling crime, district commander Superintendent John Gralton said of the roll-out in the Tuggerah Lakes area.

“BWV will play an important part in our ongoing commitment to officer and community safety on the Central Coast,” Superintendent Gralton said.

“With millions of interactions between police and community members every year, the cameras will be an excellent tool to assist investigations by directly recording criminal behaviour and providing officers with a contemporaneous, unequivocal account of an incident.”

As well as the ability to record video and audio, and live-stream, the body cameras can film in high-definition and wide-view, and also come equipped with the ability to take still images, record audio only or operate in low-light situations.

The footage is encrypted and safely stored on the camera, and once downloaded onto the secure police database; all footage on the camera is erased.

“I want to reassure the community our officers have received training on the appropriate use of BWV and members of the public will be informed if the camera is in use,” Superintendent Gralton added.