An Garda Síochána
Dail Éireann — 2022-02-17
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Neale Richmond (FG), Dublin Rathdown

I welcome the response of the Minister. I am grateful for it. It is worth noting that in the four years since the Commission on the Future of Policing recommended the introduction of body-worn cameras, 3,381 members of An Garda Síochána have been assaulted in the line of duty. Between 2018 and 2020, there was a 45% increase in assaults. I appreciate the Bill is particularly complex legislation and there are so many areas that need to be considered, but it is time to truly react to the desires not just of communities but, indeed, all policing unions that have called for the introduction of these cameras. In light of the response of the Minister, how can Oireachtas Members of all parties help to ensure the legislation is passed as swiftly as possible once she is in a position to introduce it? Ireland is an outlier in Europe in the context of being one of the few states that do not use body-worn cameras. What lessons have been learned from other jurisdictions with regard not just to ensuring this legislation is watertight, but that it is introduced in an expedited manner?

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2022-02-17/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:50:09+00:00
Sitting date: 2022-02-17