London, October 19 (RHC)-- London Metropolitan Police Service are set to equip a total of 22,000 officers by the summer of 2017 with body cameras in order to bring greater transparency into the actions of officers' interactions with the public. 

"Body Worn Video will support our officers in the many challenging situations they have to deal with, at the same time as building the public's confidence," said Metropolitan Police Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe. 

Meanwhile, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said that the cameras will help move the police into "the modern era."  London already has a city-wide CCTV camera system that stands at around one camera for every 14 people, adding up to a total of about 422,000. 

The cameras will be placed on the officers’ uniforms and will record only after they are turned on by the officer.  The cameras’ beep frequently and are illuminated by a flashing red circle when recording. 

If police don't expressly ask to retain the footage for evidence then it's deleted in 31 days. Anyone can request to see footage taken of them by the cameras under data protection laws. 

Last June, the London City Council announced that fixed CCTV cameras in central London are being axed to save 3.3 million U$D.