Strathclyde Extends Taser Use

Mon, 08 February 2010 Courtesy of: Strathclyde Police

Work has been undertaken by Strathclyde Police with regard to the possibility of extending the use of tasers.

The Force states that he number of assaults on police officers has increased and this results in injured officers having to take time off from front line duties. "Over the last 4 years an average of 4000 officers have been assaulted each year and this is unacceptable. Strathclyde Police has a duty to protect both its officers and the public and regards the use of tasers as one of a variety of effective means of doing this."

“Taser will form part of the officers personal protection kit”

The primary reasons are to protect the public, protect officers, protect the subject and to reduce the number of days officers were absent as a consequence of on-duty assaults.

The trial will take place in Glasgow City Centre and Rutherglen and Cambuslang Sub Divisions by specially trained response officers, and at the conclusion of the pilot project a full evaluation of it s deployment will be conducted prior to any decision being taken to roll out Taser on a force wide basis.

A Force spokesperson said that extending the use of Taser to non firearms officers should not be viewed as a replacement for any of the existing safety options that operational officers are equipped with; rather it should be looked upon as an additional tactical option that has unique capabilities. As with any use of Force, the use of Taser must always be shown to be measured, justified and proportionate. The Taser will form part of the officers personal protection kit.

Chief Superintendent Bob Hamilton said,

"When dealing with a member of the public the most important tool an officer has is his communication skills. However, when faced in a violent situation, officers may have to use other methods and unfortunately that may involve the use of force. Where taser has been deployed in other parts of the UK the number of violent confrontations between the police and individuals of a violent nature have reduced. The extended deployment of taser will hopefully impact positively on communities and reassure the public that an appropriate police response is being delivered. However, the pilot would have to show signs of improvement in public protection before the scheme gets extended"