Taoiseach Simon Harris; minister for justice, Helen McEntee; and Garda Commissioner, Drew Harris attended Store Street Garda station in Dublin’s North Inner-city today to launch the pilot phase of bodyworn cameras for frontline Gardaí.

The pilot phase will take place in Dublin, followed by Limerick and Waterford, with bodyworn cameras being introduced in the following locations:

• DMR South Central, Pearse Street Garda Station, Kevin Street Garda Station
• DMR North Central, Store Street Garda Station
• Waterford Division, Waterford Garda Station
• Limerick Garda Division, Henry Street Garda Station

Mr Harris said: “Today marks an important step forward for policing in Ireland. Body-worn cameras are vital to protecting gardaí on the beat as they experience an increase of attacks which will not be tolerated.

“Too often gardaí find themselves in situations where they are being recorded in tense situations with footage often edited to suit a particular narrative. This technology will offer protection both to gardaí and to the public with accurate recording of incidents.

“Body-worn cameras will also assist gardaí with their investigations and will be an effective tool for evidence gathering where necessary. I look forward to hearing the feedback both from gardaí and the public ahead of further roll-out of body-worn cameras across the country.

“The Government is committed to providing An Garda Síochána with the resources they need which is reflected in the unprecedented allocation of €2.3 billion 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.”

Ms McEntee said: “The Introduction of Body-worn cameras is part of my plan to ensure that An Garda Síochána is a leading edge, modern police service fit for the digital age. This technology will be invaluable to the 350 Gardaí who will use it across three Dublin city centre Garda stations. The roll-out will continue later this year in Limerick and Waterford. My plan is then to move to have body worn cameras on Gardaí in every part of the country.”

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.”