Body cams to be introduced for Gardai ‘Braindead government scheme must be rectified’ states Ó murchú

THE Minister for Justice, Simon Harris has introduced legislation in the Dáil to allow for the use of body worn cameras and other crucial modern policing tools by An Garda Síochána.

Minister Harris said the Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) Bill 2022 will significantly strengthen the capacity of An Garda Síochána to tackle crime and protect national security.

The Minister hopes to enact the Bill as soon as possible to allow Garda Commissioner Drew Harris to pilot the use of body-worn cameras later this year with a full roll-out expected after that.

Independent TD Peter Fitzpatrick welcomed the news stating that it will give gardaí an additional tool to boost their safety.

“I welcome the opportunity to speak on this crucial Bill and I unreservedly support its progress on Second

Stage. Regrettably, already this year, we have seen a number of serious assaults on gardaí. An officer was assaulted at an anti-asylum seeker protest in County Cork on 19 January.

A traffic garda had part of his finger bitten off in a vicious attack in Ballymun on Friday, 20 January. Let us not forget the arson attacks on the homes of a Dundalk garda in recent years, which was the third attack on a Garda home in and around Dundalk in 18 months. This is on top of the murder of Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe and the tragic killing of Garda Tony Golden.

“While all gardaí accept policing has its risks, there can never be any excuse for these disgraceful attacks. There were 144 attacks on gardaí in 2012. Last year, there were 241 attacks and, yet, basic measures such as body cameras are being stalled and are not due to be rolled out until 2024. Providing digital technology, including body cameras, dashcams and drones, to gardaí will help the prosecution of people who have committed crimes, as well as giving gardaí an additional tool to boost their personal safety.

“Overall, the Garda ethos is based not on force of arms but on its relationship with the community. That ethos has served us well but we need to keep our gardaí safe. The Bill needs to be enacted before the body cameras can be deployed. I hope they will be brought into operation as quickly as possible. Attacks on gardaí injure not just the victims themselves but communities as a whole,” stated Fitzpatrick.

THE ‘braindead’ government scheme that saw household electricity customers subsidising big business and large energy users must be rectified and households should get their money back as soon as possible, Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú told the Dáil last week.

The Sinn Féin TD raised the issue, first revealed through a Freedom of Information request by his colleague, Senator Lynn Boylan, with Tanáiste Micheál Martin.

Deputy Ó Murchú said it was ‘wrong and unfair’ that households, struggling to pay bills, were subsidising big business and large energy users.

He said: ‘The Commission for Regulation of Utilities failed to protect the public interest. That is why Sinn Féin has been pursuing this issue.

‘That’s the reason my colleague, Senator Boylan, submitted freedom of information requests on the issue was to get fairness for hard-pressed households.

‘We welcomed the fact that, as a result of shedding light on this issue, households will now each get €50 back. However, it was reported in the media that it appears this will not happen any time soon.

‘Does the government agree that the CRU must provide a full breakdown of how much this subsidy has cost domestic users so we can know exactly what households are owed?

‘Will he commit to ensuring that households are repaid immediately for this overcharging, as a result of an absolutely braindead Government scheme and CRU failings?

Minister Martin said: ‘Last autumn, the Government made an unprecedented allocation of resources and outlined an unprecedented cost-of-living package to help householders with their electricity bills, energy bills more generally, and also a whole range of payments within the budget.

‘I think that has given some help to people to deal with the unprecedented energy price crisis we are currently experiencing.

‘I will talk to the Minister in respect of the €50. I believe there is an onus on the agency, in this context the ESB, to pay back what is due as quickly as possible. I will talk to the Minister about that’.