The Garda Commissioner said all members of the Garda Public Order Unit were to be issued stun guns and officers were also to acquire two water cannons for permanent use, reports RTE.
According to Drew Harris, Gardai will also start wearing body cameras from the middle of next year, and all frontline officers will be given stronger protective sprays and more personal protective equipment.
He said the implementation of the “proof of concept” project involving body cameras is planned for early next year.
Mr Harris said the project would be located in Dublin city centre and should start in the first quarter of the year, reports RTE.
The cameras will be implemented in accordance with the code of conduct developed in accordance with the Digital Recording Act.
The Garda Commissioner also told the Oireachtas Justice Committee that An Garda Síochána has already begun making changes to operational policing following last week’s riots in Dublin city centre.
He said that in addition to the 1,000 people already trained, more law enforcement officers would be trained and highly visible police operations, including public order units, would remain in the city centre over Christmas, reports RTE.
Gardaí have called for changes to the regulations to allow them to access CCTV audio, which would enable them to support incitement offences, he added.
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