The Garda has "nothing to lose and much to gain" from the installation of video recording systems in prisoner reception areas and cell areas, the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) has been told.
A motion from Det Sgt Walter Kilcullen, chairman of the south central branch, demanding the installation of such systems, was passed unanimously, the AGSI said.
Sgt Kilcullen told the conference in Dublin the "simple procedure" would "end many disputes and save countless hours in courts and tribunals". "The Garda Siochana have nothing to lose from such developments and much to gain. A person no longer would be able to claim at a trial that the person was not afforded every opportunity in custody."
The sergeant said intoxication was a factor in many crimes. However, when the case came for hearing, the "now sober" offender's genuine recollection of the "facts" might be in "complete variation" with what happened while he or she was in "an intoxicated stupor".
Sgt Kilcullen, who is based at Kevin Street station, Dublin, said cells would be much safer if the person detained could be monitored by cameras in the ceiling rather than by peepholes which could be deliberately blocked by the detainee.
Stringent controls should apply to the tapes so a suspect who co-operated with the Garda was not exposed to danger by other criminals "under any legal pretext", he added.
Responding, Mr Donncha O'Connell, director of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL), said: "The use of video recording equipment in police interview rooms is long overdue and its introduction should be expedited. "In the meantime, only such stations where such equipment has been installed should be used for interviewing suspects in serious cases. The ICCL welcomes the conversion of the AGSI to this worthy idea, but otherwise the motion discussed is somewhat confused and presents a rather Orwellian defensiveness."
Mr O'Connell cited the Dean Lyons case - where a man confessed to two murders he had not committed while in custody - as a case where video recording equipment would have been invaluable.
A number of Garda stations around the State are currently being wired for video equipment in interview rooms. The installation of cameras in cells and reception areas was a different issue, Sgt Kilcullen said.