Just over 200 Garda CCTV cameras in Dublin, making it one of the capital cities with fewest cameras
In a response to a parliamentary question, Minister for Justice
Jim O'Callaghan
confirmed of the 209 cameras in the Dublin metropolitan area authorised by the Garda commissioner, a total of 65, almost one-third, are located on O'Connell Street and in the north inner city.
The breakdown shows that there are a total of 35 cameras in Tallaght; 33 in the Pearse Street district; 18 in Ballyfermot; 13 in Clondalkin; and 12 in Dún Laoghaire.
'The quantity of cameras varies from time to time as a result of moves, additions and due to changes resulting from building works in Dublin,' said Mr O'Callaghan.
READ MORE
There has been criticism that the number of CCTV cameras in Dublin is very low compared with other cities, and that many more will be needed in the capital to deal with crime, public order incidents and traffic offences.
Fine Gael TD for Dublin Bay South
James Geoghegan
, who asked the parliamentary question, said that as a capital city of over 1 million people, Dublin was way behind when it came to using CCTV on the streets.
'Right now there's just one Garda CCTV camera for every 6,000 people in Dublin. In London the Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham has one for every 73 people. The City of Westminster has one for every 1,000, and they're planning to halve that ratio.
'When I was Lord Mayor of Dublin (in 2024), I heard the same thing again and again from businesses, workers and residents. People want to feel safer, and they want to see consequences for criminal behaviour. Expanding CCTV is one key part of that,' he said.
The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) said that in addition to its own cameras, An Garda Síochána also routinely collects CCTV footage from premises across Dublin when investigating crimes.
The Garda also has access to at least 400 CCTV cameras operated by Dublin City Council, including those on over 250 traffic poles throughout the city.
The latest legislation, An Garda Síochána Recording Devices Act 2023, also gives wide powers to compel businesses and organisations (such as shopping centres, stores or other venues) to provide a live feed of their CCTV to An Garda Síochána for up to 72 hours.
Olga Cronin, a senior policy officer on surveillance and human rights with the ICCL, said CCTV could serve valid purposes such as securing property but if used disproportionately it could unlawfully infringe individuals' rights to privacy and data protection. In some cases, she said, it could lead to general untargeted mass surveillance.
'As surveillance CCTV systems become more sophisticated this risk becomes even greater. We're lucky enough to live in a jurisdiction where the State does not have an unfettered right to erect cameras wherever it sees fit. There are rules to be complied with so that our fundamental rights are protected,' she said.
Ms Cronin warned against Ireland following the lead of the UK in this regard. She said the UK was now considering a law to ban face coverings at protests and was also expanding its use of facial recognition technology.
She said Dublin should not be seeking to emulate the UK or London,
one of the most surveilled cities in the world
.
London has 14 cameras per 1,000 people, according to global analysis conducted by research company Comparitech. Berlin has 13 per 1,000 people, and both Paris and Rome have four cameras per 1,000.
The figure for Dublin is 0.2 cameras for every 1,000 people, or 0.6 cameras per 1,000 population if those from Dublin City Council are included.
The report of the Dublin City Taskforce recommended an upgrade in the CCTV network, and also suggested that new legislation be drafted for real time monitoring.
Another recommendation was that more CCTV cameras be inserted in areas of the city that were flashpoints for public order offences or known locations for street crime or disturbances.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sunday World
3 hours ago
- Sunday World
Sex offenders can no longer be fully segregated in jails due to overcrowding
NUMBERS DOUBLE | Electronic tagging pilot project is expected to initially number fewer than 70 tags The Midlands Prison in Portlaoise The Sunday World also understands the Department of Justice's electronic tagging pilot project, which has gone to tender, is expected to initially number less than 70 tags. It will be up and running by the end of the year. The low number in the pilot scheme means it will not have any immediate impact on the prison overcrowding issue. However, a government source stressed the pilot project is expected to be expanded swiftly after its initial run. Jim O'Callaghan said a steering group will look at tagging issues As of last week, there were 5,579 inmates in Irish prisons, with a total bed capacity for 4,672, meaning the system was close to 1,000 prisoners over capacity. As of May 31 this year, there were 800 sentenced prisoners in custody for sexual offences. This compares to 489 on the same date in 2022. Traditionally, sex offenders have been housed mainly at the Midlands Prison and Dublin's Arbour Hill Prison. However, due to the increased numbers, these offenders are now also being housed in The Grove in Castlerea Prison, Co Roscommon, where sex offenders and other long-term inmates live in houses within the grounds. In addition, Mountjoy Prison West now houses a number of sex offenders. It was decided that this is a suitable location to accommodate sex offenders Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan told the Dáil in recent weeks: 'I can confirm that the process of accommodating sex offenders in the part of Mountjoy Prison West, which was previously known as the Progression Unit, commenced during March 2024. 'This area of Mountjoy Prison is self-sufficient in relation to recreation, education, work and training. There is no requirement for prisoners living here to interact or traverse to the main prison. For this reason, it was decided that this is a suitable location to accommodate sex offenders.' Prison bosses have always strived to keep sex offenders separate to other inmates, for their own safety, but this is proving increasingly difficult. 'The Midlands and Arbour Hill are the traditional jails used to house sex offenders. But now these type of offenders are also in Mountjoy West, The Grove in Castlerea as well as Limerick and Cork prisons. The number of sex offenders has significantly increased but prison space has not,' said a prison source. 'There is a protection issue and the Irish Prison Service is aware of this. A sex offenders' regime is slightly different to the rest of the prison population.' The Grove, Castlerea Prison Sex offenders generally go out to recreational yards at the same time. 'These type of prisoners don't generally mix with the rest of the prison population but stick to themselves. But in the houses in The Grove in Castlerea, they are alongside other long-term prisoners, who are generally nearing the end of their sentence,' the source said. 'It is certainly not the case that sex offenders could ever be housed in the main prison population in Mountjoy for example.' The Building Better Lives (BBL) programme, previously the primary treatment for sex offenders in Irish prisons, was replaced by a new model called New Chapters last November following a review. At present it is only available at the Midlands and Arbour Hill prisons. Sex offenders, unlike all other prisoners, are not entitled to an automatic 25pc remission from their jail terms. They are also not eligible for early release. This cohort of criminals would not be considered for release to be monitored by an electronic tag — however, they could potentially be tagged if they are subject to a post-release supervision order by the courts. Mr O'Callaghan outlined to the Dáil that electronic tagging is expected to be used for some people out on bail, on temporary release and sex offenders 'subject to a post-release supervision order or a sex-offender order that includes a condition restricting movement'. He said existing legislation provides for electronic monitoring in certain circumstances and that a steering group was established in 2024 to oversee electronic monitoring proposals. 'I am advised that work is under way involving representatives from the various agencies to prepare to operationalise electronic monitoring,' he said. 'This includes consideration of technology, data protection, procurement, implementation, and operating model design. A Request for Information was published on eTenders on Thursday, 5th June. An initial rollout of electronic monitoring is expected later this year following a procurement exercise to select a service provider.'
Irish Examiner
4 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Irish Examiner view: Commissioner must restore faith in rule of law
The Crowe Report, an independent review of roads policing which was published yesterday morning, makes for difficult reading — and not just for the gardaí. The report finds that a majority of gardaí involved in roads policing are productive and professional, but it has also highlighted issues with poor productivity and behaviour among a 'noticeable' minority, stating some are 'unproductive' and appear 'demotivated and unconcerned' with doing their jobs properly. This is deeply concerning on many levels. The number of road deaths this year, at the time of writing, was 103, which is higher than two fatalities per week. The fact that the section of An Garda Síochána charged with policing the roads has been condemned in such trenchant language by an independent review will not instil confidence in the safety of our road systems. There are other factors involved in the number of serious traffic accidents, but the fact that 'noticeable' numbers of the enforcement agency policing this area are unproductive only serves to embolden those breaking the law on the roads. In addition, the report's findings also do little for the standing of the Gardaí generally. It is widely accepted that the job of a garda has rarely been more difficult, and revelations such as this undermine the authority of the force across the board. It is also the latest in a series of scandals involving serving members of the force. These have ranged from a former garda jailed for inciting men to rape a female colleague and her daughters, to another former garda who was convicted of selling cocaine. These, and other matters, are sure to loom large in the in-tray of incoming Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly, who takes up his new role on September 1. His immediate predecessor, Drew Harris, has drawn plenty of criticism in recent years, and it remains to be seen how his tenure will be evaluated in the long term, but Mr Kelly has more than enough to contend with himself next month. A lack of confidence in the gardaí means a lack of confidence in the rule of law. Zelenskyy needs real guarantees On Friday, US president Donald Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin are to meet in Alaska, with the war in Ukraine expected to dominate the agenda. This, the blandest statement of the facts possible, is about as decisive as anyone can be about this meeting; long experience has taught us all to treat anything said or promised by Mr Trump with extreme caution. It might be worth noting, for instance, that some residents of Anchorage, Alaska, have pointed to their president initially saying he was meeting Mr Putin in Russia and have — half-jokingly — sought assurances that their state will not be sold back to Russia. The fact that a discussion of Ukraine's future is being held without the presence of that country's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is an obvious caveat ahead of any agreements that might emerge from those discussions. Mr Zelenskyy has been in Britain in recent days holding talks with British prime minister Keir Starmer. Even at a remove of several thousand kilometres, the Ukrainian president articulated what might be expected from the discussions in Alaska when discussing his meeting with Mr Starmer: 'We discussed expectations from the meeting in Alaska and possible prospects. We also discussed in detail the security guarantees that could make peace truly sustainable if the United States manages to pressure Russia into stopping the killings and engaging in genuine, meaningful diplomacy.' As someone who has seen at first hand the impact of Mr Putin's attacks on his country, it is no surprise that Mr Zelenskyy isolated the two linked issues which are involved here. What specific security guarantees could make peace sustainable? Can Russia, as the aggressor in this conflict, be trusted to accept and maintain such guarantees? In order to do so, as Mr Zelenskyy pointed out, Russia would have to stop the killings and engage in meaningful diplomacy. More meaningful diplomacy than lunch with Mr Trump in Alaska, at any rate. Invasive species The recent warm weather has probably encouraged many readers to enjoy the outdoors, which makes recent warnings about the Asian hornet all the more timely. An invasive species, the hornet is native to South-East Asia, but has spread to Europe in recent decades. One was spotted in Cork by a member of the public, sparking a biosecurity alert, but the National Parks and Wildlife Service has since said the hornet has been captured, and the Government has convened a taskforce to co-ordinate a response to the sighting. The presence of the Asian hornet is a serious matter — although it does not pose a significant public health risk, even a single hornet nest has the potential to devastate native bee populations. Given how central bees are to our entire ecosystem, it is no surprise that this is being taken very seriously by the Government. The official advice is that people continue to keep their eyes open and report any sightings of the Asian hornet, but to avoid disturbing or capturing them. The good news is that there is no evidence of a nest, while the fact that a member of the public identified the hornet is also encouraging. As minister of state for biodiversity Christopher O'Sullivan said, this shows 'members of the public are our eyes on the ground'. Long may that continue.
Sunday World
7 hours ago
- Sunday World
‘Embarrassed' Wicklow man threatened to kill gardaí and their families
A Wicklow man pleaded guilty to multiple charges before Bray District Court. A Wicklow man has pleaded guilty to multiple charges before Bray District Court following an incident at his home, during which it is alleged he shouted abuse at gardaí. Martin O'Brein of Cooldross Close, Kilcoole, Co. Wicklow was charged with two offenses for intoxication in a public place and engaging in abusive or insulting behaviour on June 9, 2025, at Cooldross Close, Kilcoole, Co. Wicklow. The court heard An Garda Síochána responded to reports of a domestic dispute but instead they observed Mr O'Brein stumbling across the street. When confronted Mr O'Brein 'had a strong smell of alcohol' and began to shout 'get the f**k out my estate or I will kill your family' at gardaí. Mr Obrien's solicitor told the court that his client had been involved in a serious road traffic collision and had sustained a serious brain injury, which left him taking ten different types of medication daily. He had letters from Mr O'Brien's GP and from Brain Injury Ireland to attest to the severity of his injury. Mr O'Brien told the court he was 'ashamed and embarrassed', he has previously worked as a labourer and is only recently married. Mr O'Brein's solicitor added that 'Mr Obrein's actions were not his general demeanour'. Mr O'Brein is already serving a four-year driving ban and previously had a sentence suspended for three months. The judge decided not to enforce his suspended sentence due to the accused's brain injury and found him guilty under Probation Act Section 1.1. Funded by the Court Reporting Scheme
