Security gadget company Swann has created the ultimate piece of hardware for the night watchman or the budding nocturnal YouTuber: a torch with a built-in video camera.

Swann's FlashlightDVR: light up evening videos

Dubbed the FlashlightDVR, this chunky torch has an integrated 640 x 480 senor and a 66° horizontal viewing angle. It records video content in MPEG 4 format and on Mini SD memory cards of up to 2GB, but there’s also a built-in USB 1.1 port too.

You’ll even be able to record any verbal threats made to you when you catch a thief in the act, because the torch has a built-in microphone.

If you’re snooping around at night then you’ll have to get pretty close to any thieves though, because the FlashlightDVR’s night vision range is about 4m. However, it has three varying brightness levels with which to stun burglars into submission. A small LCD display for cycling through the torch’s functions is built-in too.

The torch weighs about 520g, but that’s not taking into account the required three size-C batteries. It’s been weatherproofed too.

The FlashlightDVR is available now from Swann’s website for $400 (£200/€235). No light's yet been shone on a UK price.