Thurles Information

• Pilot phase of Garda body-worn cameras commences in Dublin, with Waterford and Limerick to follow.
• Gardaí will upload footage at the end of each shift to assist in safe policing and evidence gathering.
• Pilot phase will inform rollout across the country.

Frontline Gardaí have commenced the use of body-worn cameras, following the enactment of the Gardaí Síochána (Recording Devices) Act 2023. Garda Commissioner, Mr Drew Harris attended Store Street Garda station in Dublin’s North Inner-city today to launch the pilot phase of body-worn cameras for frontline Gardaí.

The pilot – or ‘proof-of-concept’ – phase will take place in Dublin, followed by Limerick and Waterford, with body-worn cameras being introduced in the following locations:-
DMR South Central, Pearse Street Garda Station, Kevin Street Garda Station, Dublin.
DMR North Central, Store Street Garda Station, Dublin.
Waterford Division, Waterford Garda Station.
Limerick Garda Division, Henry Street Garda Station.

Note: It is fair to assume that with body-worn cameras going immediately to three locations in Dublin City, sadly same indicates an area not being properly governed and not obedient to Irish Republican laws.

The Government is committed to providing An Garda Síochána with the resources they need; reflected in the allocation of €2.3 billion of taxpayers money in Budget 2024. This ensures every member of An Garda Síochána is equipped with the latest technology to keep every community across the country safe.

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said: “The ability of An Garda Síochána to securely acquire and process digital evidence is a key feature of modern policing. This morning’s launch of a proof of concept for Body Worn Cameras and the supporting Digital Evidence Management System (DEMS) is an important milestone for An Garda Síochána towards the implementation of Information-Led Policing.
Body Worn Cameras, supported by the underlying legislation, technology and training, will act as an important evidentiary tool.
International experience has also shown that body-worn cameras will increase safety for Gardaí and the public.
Now, through this proof of concept, we will be able to refine our systems and processes for Body Worn Cameras based on experience and feedback.”

The Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) Act 2023 was signed into law last December. The Act provides for body-worn cameras, Garda CCTV, automatic number plate recognition, and Community CCTV.

Each body-worn camera can record footage to its own internal encrypted storage, which will be uploaded when the Garda docks the camera in a Garda station. Body-worn camera footage is uploaded at the end of a shift so it can be used as evidence at court or is deleted after an agreed time period if it’s not required as evidence.