GARDAÍ IN LIMERICK are starting to wear body cameras that can record footage while showing on a display screen the video that is being captured.

More than 100 gardaí at Limerick’s Henry Street station have been trained to wear the “Reveal” cameras, which have a screen on their face that shows the footage being taken when recording is activated.

Garda management are hoping that the cameras will help to de-escalate tense situations and deter criminal offences.

The cameras have a 120-degree field of vision and have a battery life that can record up to 12 hours of footage.

The use of body cameras was recommended by the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland and gardaí are introducing their use in three phases, with today’s roll-out in Limerick marking the start of the second phase. Another station in Waterford city is to be added next months.

The first phase started in Dublin in May, with nearly 400 gardaí trained in their use and 200 cameras available in Pearse Street, Kevin Street, and Store Street stations.

Speaking at the launch in Limerick today, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said that the “ability of An Garda Síochána to securely acquire and process digital evidence is a key feature of modern policing”.

“We know that other jurisdictions have experienced significant benefits in respect of member safety and public safety since the introduction of body worn cameras and we are already seeing their effectiveness in the three proof of concept stations in Dublin North Central and Dublin South Central, where they have been in use for the past eight weeks now,” Harris said.

“Personnel have noted situations which might ordinarily escalate have actually de-escalated due to the presence of a garda with a body worn camera,” he said.