Gardai are set to get body cameras on their uniforms as the Government clears the way for new laws.
Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan announced today that approval was given at a Cabinet meeting.
The new laws will pave the way for cameras to be worn by operational gardai as they police the country.
Minister Flanagan said: “The use of body-worn cameras by modern police services around the world has increased dramatically over the last five years or so.
"The evidence available suggests that they can greatly improve police frontline capability with the accurate recording of incidents. They provide a contemporaneous evidence capture and a clear unambiguous record of particular events and interactions such as at public order protests.
"Their deployment can lead to an increase in admissions and early guilty pleas. Most importantly, their usage may increase public trust and build confidence in policing generally.”
Jim Mulligan, president of the Garda Representative Association (GRA) hailed body cameras as a win-win for the public and gardai alike.
Mr Mulligan said: “We have been calling for the introduction of body cameras for many years having seen their benefit in other jurisdictions.
“They have been proven to have a positive effect in reducing levels of violence, complaints against police and in providing evidence in the criminal justice system – often speeding up court proceedings.
“These devices are proven to be effective in providing transparency in many aspects of policing, particularly when gardai are confronted by violent or potentially violent incidents."
Mr Mulligan said the cameras would give a true reflection of the work done by frontline gardai.
He added: “Body cameras give an accurate reflection of all interactions at incidents that police attend. "They have a value in de-escalating volatile situations and countering false accounts of interactions with police videoed by others and often posted to social media."
Meanwhile, a report in to Public Order Policing by gardai has found that governance is "confused".
It echoed the calls for body worn cameras and paid tribute to the "impressive... deep commitment" of command ranks to public order.
It found: "The governance structure of public order policing within the Garda Síochána is confused, with responsibility and accountability dispersed across a wide group of senior individuals.
"The Inspectorate found limited strategic coordination, and that public order responsibilities overlapped across a number of assistant commissioners, chief superintendents and superintendents, which limits the organisation’s ability to drive the strategic changes necessary in this area of policing.
"Organisational learning in the context of public order is described as ad hoc."
