Gardaí have been approved to begin purchasing bodycams from today, with the technology to roll out in the force by the end of the summer.

A body camera, or bodycam, is a wearable audio, video, or photographic recording system.

The Cabinet approved the next steps for a bill from Justice Minister Helen McEntee, with the laws potentially passing in a matter of weeks.

In 2016, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) introduced Body Worn Video technology in Northern Ireland.

Facial recognition technology

Concerns raised by the Green Party have delayed the use of facial recognition technology by Gardaí.

If the technology is approved for use, Justice Minister McEntee said there will be safeguards around who in the Gardaí can use the software.

"This will be done in line with the Data Protection Commission Board, who have set out very clearly ethical ways and practical ways in which facial recognition technology can be used," she said.

"These are obviously all of the Data Protection Commissioners across Europe who have come together to set out these standards, so this would be drawn up exactly in line with those standards."