Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) Bill 2022: Committee Stage
Seanad Éireann — 2023-10-24
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Barry Ward (FG), Industrial and Commercial Panel

I said at the outset of this Bill that it is very important that we put in place protocols governing the use of Garda bodycams and material that is going to be gathered in regard to members of the public in a public place or, indeed, in a private place, for example, a home. Those protocols have to be tight, as I have said to the Minister before. They need to guarantee the safety and privacy of citizens but they also need to guarantee the safety and privacy of the material that is gathered in this regard.
I have a real reservation about giving anybody, including people who are deliberately causing trouble, the right to demand that a garda turn on the camera. I see that as being fraught with difficulty. We know from many examples the way gardaí are treated on the street. The protocols should govern whether Garda cameras are used or not and the extent to which gardaí are given discretion as to whether they are used are not. The provision of an absolute or even a qualified right for citizens to demand that they must be switched on is going to cause more hassle and trouble than do good. I have grave reservations about this amendment.

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Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:52:19+00:00
Sitting date: 2023-10-24