According to Justice Minister Helen McEntee, the Garda Síochána will immediately begin the process of acquiring body-worn cameras for frontline members, reports RTE.
Minister McEntee made the announcement after today’s cabinet meeting.
However, the availability of facial recognition technology (FRT) in the Gardaí will be delayed and will be regulated separately.
This is due to disagreements between government parties in recent months over plans to legislate for FRT using an amendment to the proposed Body Camera Act.
The Green Party opposed the inclusion of FRT in the legislation, saying it warranted a separate bill that would allow for increased pre-emption control.
Astute Gael ministers, including Simon Harris, who stood in for Minister McEntee until the last weeks she was on maternity leave, tried to accommodate this.
Minister McEntee said in a statement that the FRT Bill would now be prepared “on a priority basis” and was due to be published by the end of the year, reports RTE.
This will be investigated by the Oireachtas Justice Committee, which will invite experts to submit additional views.
She said the bill would only allow the Gardaí to use the FRT retroactively to investigate “the most serious crimes which are subject to a maximum sentence of life imprisonment”, reports RTE.
Such crimes include murder, rape, child sexual abuse and kidnapping.
“Gardaí will make the final decisions on the use of evidence identified using FRT,” Minister McEntee said, adding “there will be no automated decision-making. I firmly believe that bodycams and FRT are required to ensure that An Garda Síochána is a fully equipped, modern police service operating in a digital age, but I also acknowledge that some people hold legitimate concerns around the use of such technology,” reports RTE.
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