Body cams to be introduced for Gardai

The Minister for Justice, Simon Harris will today introduce legislation in the Dáil to allow for the use of body worn cameras and other crucial modern policing tools by An Garda Síochána.

Minister Harris said the Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) Bill 2022, which will be taken at second stage today, will significantly strengthen the capacity of An Garda Síochána to tackle crime and protect national security.

The use of body worn cameras will also be important in helping to protect frontline Gardaí as they do their duty in keeping people safe.

Minister Harris hopes to enact the Bill as soon as possible to allow Garda Commissioner Drew Harris to pilot the use of body-worn cameras later this year, prior to their widespread roll-out.

The Bill is in line with the recommendations of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland, which was published in 2019, and is a priority action in Justice Plan 2022. It is part of a suite of legislation being introduced by the Government to reform An Garda Síochána.

Among the central elements of the Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) Bill 2022 are:

· Allowing for recording from body worn cameras, helicopters, aircraft, Garda dogs, drones, mobile devices and tablets

· Extending the powers governing Garda use of CCTV and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology to help prevent crime and prosecute those involved in criminal activity

· Providing powers for An Garda Síochána to access third party CCTV on a live-feed basis to support them in carrying out their function, subject to strict guidelines and oversight

· Placing a statutory obligation on the Garda Commissioner to prepare Codes of Practice, which will be submitted to the Minister for Justice for approval, regarding the operation of recording devices and CCTV

· Work is already underway on these codes and they will address standards to be applied, confidentiality, security, storage, access and retention of data

The Department of Justice has engaged extensively with An Garda Síochána, Garda oversight bodies and strategic partners during the preparation of this Bill, as well as the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner, the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission and the Irish Council for Civil Liberties.

Under the Bill, body worn cameras must be visible on the clothing of the Garda member and have a light showing when they are recording.

The new Bill will regulate the use of recording devices in public spaces; where An Garda Síochána have a power of entry authorised by law; and in places where they have implied or express permission to be.

Provision will also be made for recording to be carried out from Garda helicopters, fixed wing aircraft and drones – which will be key to tackling organised crime gangs and protecting national security.

An Garda Síochána are working on draft codes of practice for, amongst other things, body worn cameras and CCTV, with a view to ensuring they are ready for when the Bill’s enactment.

In creating these codes, there will be a number of bodies with whom the Garda Commissioner will have to consult and there will be impact assessments, on human rights and data protection that have to be carried out.

Each code of practice will be submitted to the Minister for approval and once approved, it will be contained in a Ministerial Order, thereby making it a public document.