In-car camera provider SmartWitness has opened up a sales and distribution operation in the United States, following a sales surge of more than 40% in the UK.

Some US States such as Nevada have made CCTV cameras in taxis compulsory - and similar measures exist in some UK cities such as Oxford.

The expansion follows the launch of SmartWitness's new KP1, whic is currntly being showcased at this year's Commercial Vehicle show at the NEC Birmingham, alongside SmartWitness' SVC100GPS, which has sold more than 250,000 units worldwide.

SmartWitness claims that companies can slash incident records by 50% and insurance premiums by 20% using its cameras.

Simon Marsh (pictured), managing director of SmartWitness, said: "This is a really exciting time for SmartWitness and we feel the time is right to make the move to America and this has also been driven by our international clients' needs.

"We know there is huge sales potential in targeting clients who are looking for a cos- effective and reliable system which can deliver crystal clear images seconds after an incident occurs.

"And obviously with more States in the US making vehicle CCTV compulsory, there is huge potential there for further sales growth.

"We've had a fantastic response to our products since opening in Chicago and we look forward to repeating the sales growth we have achieved in the UK and throughout Europe."