The Government says it will enable facial recognition technology in order to prosecute offenders for riot and violent disorder, in response to the riots in Dublin earlier this week.
Minister for Justice Helen McEntee said new draft Facial Recognition Technology (FRT) legislation will be ready for Government approval within weeks.
Gardaí have been seeking to use FRT to identify offenders in serious crime such as terrorism, murder and rape, as well as those involved in riots and public disorder.
Ms McEntee said gardaí should not be required to trawl through thousands of hours of CCTV footage, as they are doing this weekend, to identify people responsible for violence and looting.
Gardaí investigating the rioting in Dublin this week have been examining over 6,000 hours of CCTV footage to try to identify all those involved in the violence and looting.
Ms McEntee has described this as "unacceptable".
She says she has now decided to include the offences of riot and violent disorder in forthcoming legislation on FRT along with the crimes of murder, rape, terrorism and child sexual abuse.
FRT uses technology through artificial intelligence to identify people by mapping and comparing facial features to find a match.
The Green Party has reiterated its call for any FRT legislation to first be subject to pre-legislative scrutiny.
In a statement, the party said it is awaiting the full details of the offences that Ms McEntee is proposing to allow FRT be used.
Last summer, after a long impasse on the issue, the Green Party agreed that a standalone FRT Bill could be drawn up.
Green Party spokesperson on Justice Patrick Costello has said that new facial recognition technology should not be rushed.
Mr Costello says that his party has not seen details of the proposals that would allow use of FRT in order to prosecute those invoked in rioting.
"I don't think that legislation should be rushed so that we can ensure there's proper consideration, that the proper safeguards are in place. But facial recognition technology won't prevent riots. We need proper preventative policing. We need community policing, and we need to police the far right better to prevent riots in the first place."
It would allow for the retrospective use of the technology in serious cases provided the Bill was first discussed at the pre-legislative stage.
Labour's Justice Spokesperson Aodhan Ó Ríordáin said Ms McEntee must stop producing legislation in an attempt to deflect from serious policing issues.
"Ramming legislation through the Dáil without proper debate is not the solution to what we witnessed on Thursday evening," he said.
The Irish Council for Civil Liberties is strongly opposed to its introduction for gardaí, claiming it is a form of mass surveillance which gives rise to serious human rights concerns and questions of compatibility with EU law.
However, Ms McEntee described it as an essential tool in identifying serious violent riotous offenders.
She said gardaí must have access to all the tools they need to firmly and swiftly bring what she called thugs and criminals who riot to justice.
The offences of riot and violent disorder carry a maximum penalty of an unlimited fine, a prison sentence of up to 10 years, or both.
The Government says the FRT law is being drafted to include strong safeguards and protections and can only be used retrospectively and following prior authorisation.
The use of FRT will be overseen by a High Court judge.
Ms McEntee said the draft FRT legislation will be ready for Government approval in weeks, while the Recording Devices Bill, which provides for Garda Bodycams, garda CCTV and community CCTV, will be completed by the Minister in the Dáil on Wednesday.
However, body cameras are subject to a tender process and gardaí will not have them until 2025.
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris also met with all four Garda Associations who raised concerns about lack of protective helmets, certification training and the need to identify failures that saw individual gardaí isolated and attacked on Thursday night.
Commissioner Harris told the representatives he shared their concerns about the attacks on gardaí and commended all those on duty that night for their bravery.
Senior gardaí have also raised concerns over the fact that they require a warrant if they wish to access audio from CCTV for use in a prosecution.
Gardaí and members of the public were subject to verbal and racial abuse at the riots which potentially could be incitement offences but detectives must first secure a warrant from a judge to access and use that evidence.
Ms McEntee said the gardaí will be given the power to access such audio in the Digital Recording Bill which is due to pass all stages in the Oireachtas next Wednesday.
