Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am sure Deputies will join me in condemning, in the strongest possible way, any attacks on members of An Garda Síochána and other front-line services. We are all immensely grateful to all gardaí for their outstanding dedication and commitment to serving the public.  Communities up and down the country have paid warm tributes to gardaí throughout this centenary year.  Attacks on the Garda cause injury, not only to the victims, but to communities as a whole.  An attack on a member of An Garda Síochána is an attack on the safety of us all. It is imperative that front-line workers are protected in carrying out their work and that the law reflects and responds to the situations in which they find themselves.‎

The unprecedented €2.14 billion allocated to An Garda Síochána under budget 2023 demonstrates the Government’s commitment to ensuring that the Garda has the resources needed to carry out its vital service. This includes the provision of €3 million for preparatory work to support the introduction of body-worn cameras, along with €6 million for new ballistic vests to protect front-line gardaí.

The Deputy may be aware the Government published the Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) Bill 2022 on 4 August last, which will provide a legal basis for the deployment and use of body-worn cameras by An Garda Síochána.

The Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland stated in its report that policing organisations around the world have found that such devices can help improve front-line capability with the accurate recording of incidents, expedite analysis, enhance situational awareness and sometimes protect police from harm. While deployment of these devices, including related timelines, will be an operational matter for the Garda Commissioner once the legislation has been enacted, I hope that they will be brought into operation as quickly as possible.

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