From Tue, 19 July 2022, to Wed, 20 July 2022, the fourth and final regional consultation on the topic of “audio-visual recordings of interviews” took place in Dublin. The event was part of an EU-wide consultation series of the project “From Law to Practice: Strengthening Procedural Rights in Police Custody” which is implemented by the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Fundamental and Human Rights (LBI-GMR) and partner organisations from Belgium, Ireland, Spain and Romania. It aims at strengthening the rights of suspected and accused persons in the early stages of criminal proceedings.

During the two days together in Ireland, police officers, policy-makers, defence lawyers, forensic psychiatrists, technology and privacy experts as well as criminal justice academics shared their experiences with audio-visual recordings of interviews in criminal proceedings. They discussed implementation difficulties and barriers for a wider use of audio-visual recordings and compared whether correspondent legal provisions for the use of audiovisual recordings exist in their national legislation.

The participants concluded that audiovisual recordings can be an important legal protection tool for both defendants and police officers. However, it was also agreed that audiovisual recordings alone are not sufficiently effective as a procedural safeguard, but must be embedded in a broader package of procedural rights, including the right to access a lawyer and to have a lawyer present during the interview.

The consultation on audiovisual recordings (Dublin, Mon, 18 July – Tue, 19 July 2022) was the last of a four-part series. Previously, the consultation on the right to information (Vienna, Tue, 5  April 2022 – Wed, 6 April 2022), the consultation on the access to a lawyer (Bucharest, Tue, 17 May 2022 – Wed, 18 May 2022) and the consultation on legal aid (Madrid, Tue, 21 June 2022 – Wed, 22 June 2022) were held.