Garda body cameras will not record all the time and will instead only be activated by gardaí in certain situations, under a new system being considered by management. The introduction of body cameras was recommended by the Commission on the Future of Policing in 2018 and is supported by many gardaí. The use of body cameras will be governed under the Garda Síochána (Digital Recording) Bill 2021, which Cabinet will consider shortly, and they will probably come into operation some time next year. Privacy issuesHaving a camera recording all the time would be “prohibitively expensive”, one person familiar with the process said, and would raise significant privacy issues. In many jurisdictions, police body cameras are activated automatically when an officer performs a certain action, such as drawing a firearm.

Source: The Irish Times April 26, 2021 00:00 UTC