Gardaí to use gait analysis and voice recognition to identify suspects
will soon receive powers to use
artificial intelligence
to analyse the gait, voice and other physiological features of suspects during criminal investigation.
These biometric investigative tools will be used alongside
facial recognition
to identify suspects in serious offences and to locate missing people.
At first, investigators will only be able to use these powers retroactively, to process evidence already available to them such as CCTV and phone footage. However, further legislation is planned to allow these tools to be used in a live setting, alongside live facial recognition, in situations where there is an imminent threat to life.
Under the plans, gardaí will be empowered to use artificial intelligence to identify the physiological characteristics of suspects on recorded footage.
READ MORE
This includes computer programmes that can analyse the gait of a person - the unique way they walk - to identify them. Other programmes will be able to identify people based on their voices patterns.
There has been significant debate regarding the Government's plans to introduce facial recognition technology in recent years, with criticism coming from civil liberties and privacy groups.
However, this is the first time the Government has confirmed it will also legislate for other forms of biometric data in criminal investigations.
The upcoming legislation 'will provide the power to utilise biometric technologies generally', a
Department of Justice
spokesman said.
'This could include the use of physical, physiological or behavioural characteristics of an individual, such as face, gait or voice', he said, but will not include DNA analysis and fingerprints, which are provided for in separate legislation.
As technology develops, other potential forms of analysis will become available overtime. These include tools allowing suspects to be identified by other unique markers, such as the shape of their ears or the pattern of veins in their hands.
Technology is even being developed to identify people based on the movement of their eyes and the unique odours they give off. All of these types of biometric data are provided for in the EU's Artificial Intelligence Act which, according to the Department of Justice, which will form the basis for Irish legislation in this arena.
Artificial technology will be used to compare biometric characteristics and provide a percentage based assessment of whether they match.
Garda management has long been calling for facial recognition powers to analyse digital evidence, which is becoming more prevalent in criminal investigations.
Manually going through hours of CCTV to identify suspects 'is becoming unfeasible and ineffective', Commissioner Drew Harris said last year.
He was speaking in the aftermath of the Dublin riots, when gardaí had to manually process 22,000 hours of CCTV footage to identify offenders.
In response to queries, the department stressed the new powers will be based on a 'bedrock' of human rights and that trained gardaí will review all results produced by biometric technologies.
'At the moment Garda investigations can involve teams of gardaí spending months and months trawling through footage from CCTV, footage captured on a phone or from passersby.
'Biometric technologies will help An Garda Síochána carry out investigations quickly and efficiently and will save valuable Garda time. It will prove to be of particular assistance where time is of the essence in order to preserve a person from a threat of serious harm or a threat to their life or the lives of others.'
[
Abeba Birhane: We're headed for big problems if gardaí get facial recognition technology
Opens in new window
]
The department said the technology will also save gardaí 'from the harrowing work of poring over thousands or even millions of images and footage of child sexual abuse material'.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
an hour ago
- Irish Times
Three arrested at Dublin rally over Government's attitude to immigration and homelessness
Three men were arrested at a rally outside the GPO in Dublin city centre on Wednesday afternoon. Organisers of the gathering were protesting what they described as the Government's attitude to immigration and homelessness . The three men, who were aged between their late teens and late 50s, were taken to a Garda station in Dublin. They were subsequently charged and will appear before the courts at a later date. An Garda Síochána said investigations into the incident, which took place at 1.30pm, are ongoing. The group of approximately 50 people moved from the GPO to Kildare Street, near Leinster House, where they set up camps behind barricades. READ MORE One of the protesters, John, a 63-year-old man who lives in Co Donegal, sadi he organised the rally as a 'non-political grassroots movement' to protest against the Government's attitude to homelessness and immigration. He said the group was formed because of the record levels of homelessness recorded in the State this year. [ Homelessness: Number of people in emergency accommodation rises to new high of 15,747 Opens in new window ] John said he is not opposed to immigrants per se; 'We're not saying they are the problem, we're saying the Government is the problem. There's immigrants coming in here and on a humanitarian level alone it's wrong because they're put into tents along the canals. They don't want that, we certainly don't want to see them suffering. But we don't want to see the Irish suffering. 'House the Irish. House the immigrants, but house the Irish first,' he said. Several participants who did not want to be identified said they were also homeless, or had experienced homelessness in the past. One young man said his time being homeless was 'not a nice experience, to know that my Government doesn't really give a toss about us'. The participants connected online on social media, YouTube and through word of mouth. 16/07/2025 - A Large Garda operation in place for an anti immigration protest which started at Dublins GPO before heading for the Merrion Square side of the Dail and Government Buildings. Photograph: Alan Betson / The Irish Times As rebel ballads played over a speaker amid a sea of Tricolour flags, a young man with a megaphone said: 'The youth have no future, the youth will never be able to live in this country and we will emigrate off.' The group is planning to continue the rally overnight and into Thursday morning to highlight the homelessness crisis for 'Irish people'. Several tents with cookout stoves were erected in the afternoon.
Irish Times
2 hours ago
- Irish Times
Landowner tipped over ESB tractor with driver inside to stop tree trimming, court told
A landowner, who has allegedly prevented ESB contractors from cutting down trees that could cause power cuts, overturned a tractor while its driver was inside, it was claimed in the High Court. Tom O'Shea, of Stellrose, Wheelam, Milltown, Newbridge, Co Kildare, had interfered with efforts to trim trees on land he owns in 2009. He was ultimately brought before the High Court for breaching undertakings not to do so. On May 6th this year, the ESB attended lands he owns, over which the Cushaling-Newbridge 110kV overhead lines run, to start work on cutting back growth. It was taking this action under a statutory power it has to access lands with such lines. Mr O'Shea had been notified . In a sworn statement for court, Stephen Mortimer, high voltage and cables central region project leader, said Mr O'Shea arrived later that morning and told them to leave. He said if they were not out in an hour, 'I will pull down the line', Mr Mortimer said. READ MORE He headed back in the direction of his farmyard, returned and then got into his own tracked digger. He used the digger to tip over the tractor with the driver inside, he said. Attempts to disable Mr O'Shea's digger failed when he fought back, and two injured parties backed off, Mr Mortimer said. Mr O'Shea then locked his digger and walked back towards his home. Gardaí were called and they later arrested Mr O'Shea, whose licensed firearm was seized by the Garda Armed Support Unit. The two injured parties were taken to hospital. Two further attempts were made to access the land and on the last one, on June 18th, it emerged Mr O'Shea had locked a gate into the field, blocking access. Mr Mortimer said an injunction was now required due to the defendant's persistent refusal to allow access. The works are required to ensure the health and safety of anybody on the lands and to ensure critical maintenance planned for this season can be carried out, he said. There are four lines on the land and there is a serious risk that the interference will lead to supply disruption to an extensive volume of customers, he said. Two 110kV lines serve the greater eastern and midland region and another 38kV line serves around 18,000 customers. There is a possibility thatcustomers could be left without power and there could be a severe impact on the national grid, he said. On Wednesday, Mr Justice Brian Cregan granted permission to serve proceedings on Mr O'Shea following a one-side-only represented application by Stephen Dodd SC, for the ESB. The judge said that given the urgency of the matter, it could come back before the court on Friday.
Irish Times
3 hours ago
- Irish Times
Former Bohemian FC coach David Henderson is awarded €26,000 after ‘ruthless, sham' redundancy
A tribunal has made a maximum-compensation €26,000 award to former Bohemian FC coach David Henderson over his dismissal from the League of Ireland premier division club. The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) found he was subjected to a fabricated allegation of misconduct when the club 'got rid' of him in a 'ruthless and dishonest' redundancy last winter. An adjudicator from the WRC found there was 'no evidence' to back up claims by the Bohs management that the club's finances were in trouble to the extent it had to get rid of the ex-player and coach, who was drawing wages of just €250 a week. In a decision published on Wednesday, the tribunal found The Bohemian Football Club CLG to be breach of the Unfair Dismissals Act 1977 on foot of a complaint by Mr Henderson over his dismissal by telephone on November 30th, 2024. READ MORE Giving evidence to the tribunal, the club's president had said a budget review process last October and November concluded that 'cutbacks' were needed at the club in 2025 and had 'looked at the complainant's position'. The club president said Bohemians had booked 'significant losses' in 2023 and had projected losses for 2024 - with a decision made at an early November 2024 board meeting that the role of 'recruitment' was not needed. After the board meeting, he instructed the club's director of football to tell Mr Henderson his 'services were no longer required and were being dispensed with'. Adjudication officer Christina Ryan said that when she questioned the club president he could not confirm the date of the board meeting. He also confirmed that Mr Henderson 'was not put on notice' of potential redundancies at the club, had no opportunity to take part in a consultation process and had 'no forewarning' of the phone call on November 30th ending his employment. Mr Henderson told the commission he had been involved with the club at various stages as player, scout and coach – and since 2023 had been head of recruitment, goalkeeping coach for the men's first team, coach for the women's team and chief scout for the Bohemian FC academy. He said the director of football first referenced 'a budgeting issue' when he phoned to remove him from his post. When he replied that this 'did not make sense', given all he did for the club for €250 a week, the director of football then mentioned 'anonymous verbal complaints and a historic letter of complaint', he said. Mr Henderson said he had been given 'no prior warning, investigation or opportunity to respond before his dismissal' and that 'multiple requests' for details of the allegations and 'supposed letter of complaint' had gone unanswered. Under questioning from the adjudicator, the club president admitted 'no letter of complaint ever existed'. Mr Henderson said he had such concerns for his reputation and professional standing, given he worked with underage and female players, that he wrote to the Football Association of Ireland's safeguarding department asking it to pursue the matter – with the FAI's child protection officer confirming there was no letter. He said if the allegations did exist then he wanted them formally investigated to ensure fairness to himself and any potential complainants. In her decision on the case, Ms Ryan wrote: 'These allegations were a gross fabrication designed to, for whatever reason, get rid of the complainant.' She said the club had not been able to 'substantiate the assertion that the financial position of the respondent was such that it would justify the redundancy or the role of recruitment'. It had, in fact, presented 'no documentary evidence' on its financial position, Ms Ryan said. 'It was apparent that the complainant remained involved in football at League of Ireland, college and grassroots level because of his love of the game of football. He was not only an employee of the respondent but a former player, and the treatment he was subjected to by the respondent was shocking,' she said. Ms Ryan said the dismissal was 'nothing more than a sham redundancy carried out in a ruthless and dishonest manner without a single thought for the personal damage the respondent was inflicting on the complainant'. She awarded Mr Henderson €26,000 in compensation – and said it was the 'upper limit' that she was in a position to award.
