Civil liberties body `gratified' by decision to video record

The Irish Council for Civil Liberties has welcomed the announcement that Garda interviews with people detained in connection with serious crimes will be video recorded.

The council's director, Mr Donncha O'Connell, said it was "gratifying" that the desirability of such a scheme had been recognised by the Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue.

The scheme was "long overdue" as the technology required to implement it was "far from sophisticated". It was also "regrettable that such a scheme was not in place for recent cases in which the interrogation techniques employed by the Garda gave rise to serious disquiet".

The Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors said it was happy that Mr O'Donoghue had implemented a scheme which included full audio-visual recording.

A spokesman for the association said it would have opposed any scheme which involved the sound recording of interviews alone as it would have been possible for a suspect to fake an assault. "Video recording is a bit more satisfactory."

The spokesman said the association had favoured the introduction of audio-visual recording as offering "protection for the person who's conducting the interview as well as for the person who's being interviewed".

The Garda Representative Association said the recording of Garda interviews was a measure the association had sought for some time.

The deputy general secretary of the association, Mr Tony Hand, said the move would offer protection to gardai who frequently had "vexatious allegations" levelled against them, including accusations of assault.

The Association of Garda Superintendents welcomed Mr O'Donoghue's announcement as "a very positive development". The president of the association, Supt Pat Diggin, said the electronic recording of interviews would "provide a means eventually of eliminating the often very malicious and very wrongful allegations made against gardai".

He acknowledged there would be difficulties for gardai in adjusting to the practice but said these difficulties "will have to be overcome".

Fine Gael's spokesman on justice, Mr Jim Higgins, said the measures should eliminate court conflicts over "whether statements from suspects were given voluntarily or forcibly extracted".

While he welcomed the move he said it would be "impossible to extend the system on a nationwide basis unless there was a major programme of upgrading the many sub-standard Garda stations throughout the country".

He said it was also important that gardai operating the new system received "adequate training in interview techniques", which was not the case at present.

The Labour Party also welcomed the move. The party's justice spokesman, Mr Brendan Howlin, said the scheme "would strengthen the operation of our justice system and enhance the protection offered to both gardai and to individuals questioned by the gardai".

He said, however, that Mr O'Donoghue's proposed implementation period of 12-18 months was too long.