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Tasers are safer for the police and for the public. In situations where there has been a real possibility of someone being seriously injured or killed, Tasers have contributed to resolving the incident without injury.
In a significant proportion of cases they have not needed to be fired; drawing or aiming the Taser has been enough of a deterrent.
Additional funding for 10,000 Tasers was made available to support the extension and police forces were asked to bid to the Home Office for the number of Tasers they required.
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said:
"I am proud that we have one of the few police services around the world that do not regularly carry firearms and I want to keep it that way.
"Everyday the police put themselves in danger to protect us, the public. They deserve our support, so I want to give the police the tools they tell me they need to confront dangerous people. That is why I have given every police force the number of Tasers they have requested.
"I am pleased that police forces up and down the country have used the additional funding I made available for Tasers."
Paul McKeever of the Police Federation of England and Wales said:
"We are extremely pleased that a number of forces seem to have utilised the additional funding given for the extension of Taser. The investment rightly reflects the professionalism of police officers nation wide and recognises the vital role Taser plays in the fight against crime.
"It is extremely disappointing however that the Metropolitan Police Authority has not taken advantage of this funding. Not only does Taser provide a less lethal alternative to firearms but it provides confidence and reassurance to officers when confronted with volatile situations."
Derek Talbot, Assistant Chief Constable of Northamptonshire Police and Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) spokesperson on Taser said:
"ACPO welcomed the support of the Home Secretary for our proposal to roll out Tasers to specially trained units across the country following a successful 12 month trial in ten police forces. The trial showed that in over 80 per cent of incidents where Tasers were used, the situation was resolved without recourse to discharge the weapon.
"This showed further evidence that Taser use is a proportionate, low risk means of resolving incidents where the public or officers face severe violence or the threat of such violence which cannot safely be dealt with by other means.
"The opportunity for more specially trained officers to be equipped with Taser is a welcome enhancement to Public and Officer safety"
The roll-out of Taser followed reports from the Association of Chief Police Officers and the Home Office Scientific Development Branch which found that Tasers provided real benefits for both public and police officer safety in incidents involving serious violence.
Statistics from the trial show of the 661 recorded uses of Tasers, 85 per cent involved the weapon just being drawn, aimed, arced or the subject being 'red-dotted' - showing Tasers powerful deterrent effect and its benefits in preventing any escalation in violence. Tasers were only discharged in 93 of the 661 uses.
The extension means that officers in specially trained units are able to use Tasers in situations where they face serious violence or threats of serious violence to the public, themselves or the subject. This is set out in ACPO guidance on its use.
Notes
Tasers provided per force:
Police Force Quantity of Tasers
Avon and Somerset Constabulary 130
Bedfordshire Constabulary 90
British Transport Police 400
Cambridgeshire Constabulary 150
Cheshire Constabulary 82
City of London Police 30
Cleveland Constabulary 70
Cumbria Constabulary 50
Derbyshire Constabulary 250
Devon and Cornwall Constabulary 325
Dorset Constabulary 50
Durham Constabulary 120
Dyfed Powys Police 80
Essex Police 50
Gloucestershire Constabulary 50
Greater Manchester Police 300
Gwent Constabulary 100
Hampshire Constabulary 50
Hertfordshire Constabulary 110
Humberside Police 100
Kent Constabulary 66
Lancashire Constabulary 150
Leicestershire Constabulary 110
Lincolnshire Police 300
Lincolnshire Police (National Training) 20
Merseyside Police 365
Metropolitan Police 150
Norfolk Constabulary 75
Northamptonshire Police 36
Northumbria Police 88
North Wales Police 130
North Yorkshire Police 100
Nottinghamshire Constabulary 200
South Wales Constabulary 120
South Yorkshire Police 70
Staffordshire Police 98
Suffolk Constabulary 100
Surrey Police 100
Sussex Police 50
Thames Valley Police 100
Warwickshire Constabulary 78
West Mercia Constabulary 70
West Midlands Police 600
West Yorkshire Police 327
Wiltshire Constabulary 85
Total 6175
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