Gardaí 'paying the price' for lack of body cam technology — GRA

Vivienne Clarke

A pilot programme for body cams for gardaí to go ahead as soon as possible, according to the president of the Garda Representative Association (GRA), Brendan O’Connor, who added it should not to be delayed by the “sidebar issue” of facial recognition.

Mr O’Connor told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland the State is “decades behind” other jurisdictions with regard to the use of body cams which would protect members of the force and prevent assaults, he said.

Describing concerns about facial recognition as a distraction, Mr O’Connor said there needs to be a speedy resolution to the issue.

He added that he believed body cams could be introduced with the facial recognition aspect “switched off” until concerns were resolved.

“Our members are paying the price for the lack of technology,” he warned.

The State is already decades behind other police services, he said, adding delays are having an impact on the health and welfare of Garda members.

Both Minister for Justice Helen McEntee and Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris, who took over the justice portfolio while Ms McEntee was on maternity leave, had indicated a pilot programme would be in place before the end of the year, Mr O’Connor noted.

He added that Garda management and Garda Commissioner Drew Harris had expressed their support for the programme, but to date, rank-and-file Garda members of the force and the GRA have not received any details of the pilot programme, other than what they have learnt through the media.

There was already a crisis in retention and recruitment within the Gardaí, Mr O’Connor warned, claiming body cams were part of the solution to this problem as they would enhance the security and safety of Garda members.