Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The changes being brought forward here were suggested as part of the report of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland. Moves in the direction of using body camera technology can be of benefit to both the public and the Garda, so long as gardaí receive sufficient training and so long as data are treated sensitively and protected. I echo the points made by Deputy Catherine Murphy about the lack of detail. It is quite difficult to engage where there is that lack of detail. Body camera and dashcam technology have been used in many police services across the European Union and beyond for some time. The appropriate use of such technology would be welcome during the course of policing in this State - that is a fact - but we have to learn the lessons from other jurisdictions and learn where there have been difficulties. This is something the Garda wants and something it is now going to get, which is welcome, but we would be foolish if we were to say it is not something that is without problems. We know there are problems with the use of this technology.

Not only will the footage act as a deterrent for those wishing to assault or intimidate gardaí during the course of their work but it will also help to capture evidence of crimes in real time, as well as help when witnesses may have to come into court to support the evidence. That might be lessened. It would be good if some of the burden could be taken off witnesses and if we could do something that would avoid them being retraumatised, or diminish that. However, it goes without saying that body cameras can also offer additional protection to those engaging with gardaí. The Garda itself has acknowledged this. Let us not pretend they will not provide this dual function. They will be a form of protection for An Garda Síochána but they will also be a form of protection for people engaging with members of An Garda Síochána. The Irish Council for Civil Liberties, ICCL, has outlined concerns related to an infringement of the right to privacy and has highlighted the broad definition of recording devices, as outlined previously. It has suggested they could be used for covert recording. While it has been stated that body cameras will not be used for covert surveillance, the legislation could still be used to do this due to the broad definitions in the Bill. Only a change to the legislation by way of amendment will truly resolve this.

Recording devices will not address the core failure in terms of the ability of An Garda Síochána to police and do its job effectively and that is the lack of garda numbers. In Dublin, for example, there are 18% fewer members of An Garda Síochána than there were in 2009, despite substantial population growth in the city and county. Everyone deserves to be safe in their community and to know that their local gardaí have sufficient resources and staffing levels to protect them. Many gardaí working overtime are doing so to cover policing duties that other stations are unable to meet due to a nationwide shortage.

I have deep concerns with regard to racial profiling and the use of facial recognition technology. That is not just my concern; those concerns are shared by human rights organisations. The evidence of that happening is available internationally. We do not need to reinvent any wheels. We simply need to look at where this technology has been used and failed and not repeat those mistakes.

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