James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The roll-out of any type of equipment is a matter for the Commissioner. As the fleet is renewed year on year, the new cars often have more specialised equipment. The legislation on bodycams is working its way through. The general data protection regulation, GDPR, means it requires specialised legislation to set out clearly how and when they can be used because these gardaí will be walking down the street, their camera maybe on, and it will be clearly marked when they are on, but they will potentially capture much more than simply the incident in front of them. We must ensure the recordings are recorded correctly for the right purposes and stored and used in the correct manner. Their roll-out would be a matter for the Commissioner, who has indicated he wants to do a pilot project before doing a mass roll-out to see how the theory works in the real world. Yes, they are used in other countries and have been for a considerable time, but we have our own unique culture, Constitution and legislation. We have to ensure they are being used correctly. We do not want a situation in a few years where someone takes a challenge in the courts and it turns out the bodycams were being used in the wrong manner, even on a technical point. It is very important we get this right.