Laws allowing Gardaí to wear body cameras during the course of their duties will be passed in a matter of weeks.
Justice Minister Helen McEntee will tell Cabinet this morning the tendering for the bodycams is about to begin.
She’ll also update them on plans for Gardaí to use facial recognition technology.
The Greens wanted facial recognition separated from the bodycam legislation and they’ve got that wish.
A separate bill will go to the Oireachtas in the autumn giving politicians more time to scrutinise it.
The proposals would see gardaí allowed to use facial recognition to sift through CCTV and other footage in investigations where the maximum penalty is life imprisonment – so homicide, rape, aggravated sexual assault, child sexual abuse and child abduction for example
They wouldn’t be allowed to use it live or for mass surveillance, only retrospectively, with safeguards in place to prevent profiling for example.
