Ireland's human rights watchdog is warning that plans to introduce Garda body-cams breach citizens’ privacy and trust.

The Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan has said the body-worn cameras will provide a clear record of public order incidents involving Gardaí.

However, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) is calling on the Government to scrap the idea – warning that it breaches a range of citizens’ rights and will hinder community policing.

It said the potential for intrusive data-gathering using the technology is “beyond concerning.”

The watchdog said it has “debunked” seven justifications used by the State to introduce the “invasive and unnecessary” cameras.

ICCL spokesperson Doireann Ansbro said the breaches to our fundamental privacy rights far outweigh the positives.

“The roll-out of body-worn cameras constitutes an invasive and unnecessary breach of our privacy rights,” she said.

“They constitute close-range filming; they’ll gather not just video but audio as well.

“We are not convinced that the clear breach of our privacy rights is justified by any reason that the Government has given so far.”

She said there is no evidence the cameras have had a positive effect in other countries.

“We have done comprehensive research on the effect of body-worn cameras in other jurisdictions and we have yet to see any conclusive or consistent evidence that they actually lead to better policing outcomes,” she said.

“We don’t believe their clear risk to our privacy rights can be justified.”

She said the cameras were originally promoted in the US as a means of preventing police officers from carrying out race-based violence against citizens.

“That is a very different context from the Irish one, where our police officers are generally unarmed,” she said.

The ICCL said it has disproven all seven justifications for the introduction of the cameras put forward by the State.

It said it found:

• No evidence that they comply with international best practice standards
• “Inconclusive” findings regarding their impact on the use of force by Gardaí
• No evidence the technology increases admissions
• No evidence the technology increases early guilty pleas
• Rather than increasing public trust and confidence, their introduction could undermine the recent progress made in reforming An Garda Síochána in line with human rights standards
• It is unlikely the technology will increase Garda accountability
• It is unlikely the technology will de-escalate dangerous situations.

The watchdog said the cameras may impact on citizens’ constitutional right to privacy and could threaten rights to rights to free expression, free assembly and free association.

It warned that people may decide not to protest or speak up for fear of being recorded.

It also warned that as the cameras are expected to be under the exclusive control of the Garda wearing them, the footage may add unfair weight to the officer’s