Body-worn cameras for gardaí are set to be trialled within the next year and could be fully rolled out from 2023. The Minister for Justice is expected to make the announcement later today at the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) annual conference. Body-cams were first recommended by the Commission on the Future of Policing in 2018. While they are supported by Garda unions, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties has raised concerns over privacy rights. Minister for Justice Helen McEntee is set to announce that the cameras will be piloted in some Garda divisions over the next year. Minister McEntee is expected to tell the conference that the devices will be beneficial when investigating crimes such as domestic violence incidents. The necessary legislation will be published next month, and Garda management are expected to engage with potential suppliers shortly.

Pay and training

Pay is one of the other issues set to top the agenda at the AGSI conference which got underway this morning. AGSI general secretary Antoinette Cunningham said members would be viewing with interest proposals around pay, given the recent increase in cost of living. She also called for face-to-face training for gardaí responding to domestic violence reports.