Gardaí Ask The Public To Stop Tagging Them In Videos Of People Committing Alleged Offences

Gardaí have asked people to stop sending them photos and videos of others where they’re claiming they’ve committed offences.

The appeal was in response to a cyclist tagging An Garda Síochána in a video which appears to have been taken from their headcam.

The person claimed a taxi was “swerving all over the place” and that another one passed too close by, while a driver’s license plate can clearly be seen in the clip.

Do not post images or video alleging offenses against people or vehicles who can be identified. Data protection everyone is entitled to their good name. Report the matter at a Garda station. Make a statement this will allow prosecution to proceed. All must share the road safely.

— An Garda Síochána (@GardaTraffic) January 27, 2019

Posting on the official Garda Twitter account, they wrote, ‘Do not post images or video alleging offenses against people or vehicles who can be identified. Data protection everyone is entitled to their good name.

‘Report the matter at a Garda station. Make a statement this will allow prosecution to proceed. All must share the road safely.’

They added, ‘To prosecute such cases we need witnesses to make statements and give evidence in court if necessary. We cannot advance a prosecution with just a video.

‘We require witness to report such incidents at a Garda station. We can investigate prosecute where appropriate.’

A Garda spokesperson told The Independent it was becoming much more common for people to upload videos of this kind and tag Gardaí social media accounts.

They said, “It should also be pointed out that the publication of videos which identify suspects may jeopardise future court cases.”

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