Met’s upwardly mobile cameras can give a 360-degree view of crowds

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At least £200,000 has been spent on the Sherpas, which are being used at protests and football matches. The force claims they will cover areas that static cameras cannot see.

Norton Integrated Systems, which invented the Sherpa, said the Met had bought eight and was due to take delivery of another this week. Scotland Yard says it has seven.

Civil liberties campaigners say they are a further example of police "intimidating" legitimate protesters. Some 25 councils in and around London have invested in the systems, which cost £18,000 to £25,000 each.

Remotely operated, they are designed for "rapid deployment" and can be attached to a lamp-post or suitable pole in 10 minutes. They can wirelessly transmit colour or night-vision footage to a computer screen.

Permission must be sought from the local authority before the cameras can be used.

The Met already faces criticism over the number of Forward Intelligence Team photographers at protests. Human rights lawyer Matt Foot said: "To have this additional equipment is unnecessary and intimidating."