“THERE can be no accommodation of violence, intimidation, or fear in Limerick,” said one Limerick senator, urging haste in the deployment of body-worn cameras for Gardaí in Limerick.
Limerick’s inclusion in a €2.1million “proof of concept” scheme for equipping Gardaí with body cameras was announced back in February, alongside Waterford and Dublin, with units already having been deployed in Dublin since the end of May.
While it is not currently known when the body camera rollout will happen on Shannonside, but it is understood that Gardaí in Limerick can expect to be equipped with the new gear later this year.
Gardaí have previously said that they expect a full national rollout by 2025.
Based on the experiences of international police forces, An Garda Síochána expects the bodycams to bolster Garda safety, reduce complaints of Garda misconduct, lower costs for investigations, and reduce challenges around arrests.
Lauding the scheme, and calling for a quickening of the pace in rolling out the scheme in Limerick, Fine Gael senator Maria Byrne said that “body cameras have been instrumental in deterring assaults and facilitating the quick identification of offenders in Dublin, and it is high time we see that rollout continue in Limerick”.
Senator Byrne said bodycams are “also a crucial tool in tackling and investigating crime, such as where Gardaí often arrive on the scene of domestic violence and abuse”.
“Moreover, this rollout will be welcome news to businesses in Limerick, as anti-social behaviour on the streets is often a significant concern.
“Policing organisations around the world have found that body-worn cameras can help improve frontline capability with the accurate recording of incidents, such as instances of domestic abuse.
“There can be no accommodation of violence, intimidation, or fear in Limerick. A message will be sent that if you break the law, Fine Gael and An Garda Siochana will ensure you face the consequences.”
Also encouraging the “speedy rollout” of the cameras, Waterford senator John Cummins said that the “use of bodycams by police is the norm across Europe”.
“Until now, Ireland is one of the few EU Member States that does not equip our Gardaí with bodycams; even the PSNI have been using them in Northern Ireland since 2016.
“It is not lost on the public that, in many cases, the only person at a crime scene or a protest without a camera has been Gardaí.”
Senator Cummins said that the bodycams will “enhance the ability of Gardaí to identify and prosecute the perpetrators of crime, while providing impartial and transparent evidence as to what Gardaí see”.
