But they will decline the request if a resident is behaving badly.

A council policy directs the use of the BWCs which were introduced to Dubbo in early 2019.

In December the council put them in the spotlight when announcing they would also be used to catch people ignoring level four water restrictions.

READ ALSO:

Chief executive officer (CEO) Michael McMahon said the "three main reasons" for introducing the technology were the recording and storing of "unbiased information" as part of an investigation, increasing the safety of rangers and residents, and the monitoring of customer service and performance.

"Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for rangers to be subjected to verbal, and to a lesser extent, physical abuse," he said.

"Making the camera obvious to the public has an immediate and moderating impact on the behaviour of people who are made aware that their actions are being recorded.

"In this respect an internal policy has been developed to manage the use of the BWCs, which will only be switched to record mode when the officer is conducting an investigation and is approached by a person in an agitated manner or if they witness an incident where footage may provide evidence of an offence."

Rangers provide residents with "the opportunity to refuse to be recorded".

"Any refusal to be recorded will be honoured except where there is a threat of abuse or assault or threat of damage to property," the CEO said.