North police use Taser guns every three days

Aug 18 2009 by Dan Warburton, The Journal

POLICE are using electric stun guns once every three days in the North East, topping a national league table.

Home Office figures released yesterday show Northumbria Police force used the Tasers 704 times in five years, compared with 700 by the Metropolitan police in London.

While officers in Northumbria serve a population of just 1.4m people, the Met caters for more than 7.5m.

In the first three months of the year, Northumbria police used the stun guns in 147 incidents, compared with 71 times by the Met.

Last night calls were made for a public debate to be held in a bid to curb the number of officers using the weapon, which delivers an electric shock strong enough to temporarily disable its target.

Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Tom Brake said they should only be used by a few specially trained officers and not be standard issue.

He said: “The government has put large numbers of Tasers in the hands of police officers without any debate.

“Given the increase in Taser use and the fact they have killed hundreds of people in the United States, we must have a full public debate before we slip any further down the slope to fully armed US-style policing.”

Earlier this year the Home Office allowed police in England and Wales to spend £8m on 6,000 more of the guns, which fire needle-tipped darts up to six metres and deliver a 50,000-volt shock.

Police claim it provides a non-lethal alternative to firearms, but Amnesty International claims the guns are potentially lethal.

In the vast majority of Northumbria Police incidents, it was enough for the police officer to draw the Taser or to aim at the offender to defuse the situation.

The guns were actually fired in 119 incidents and used in a further 12 to “drive-stun”, which is when the device is held against a person without firing the darts, and is intended to cause pain without incapacitating.

Berwick MP Sir Alan Beith said: “These figures are certainly a cause for concern. We will be taking this up with the Chief Constable.” In Durham, Tasers were discharged just 16 times in the first three months of the year and 113 times in the last five years.

And assistant Chief Constable of Northumbria Police, Jim Campbell, insisted the use of the guns had boosted the public’s safety.

He said: “Northumbria Police is the only metropolitan force to select officers from 24/7 response teams to become trained in the use of Taser.

“This means that the availability of Taser is therefore proportionately much greater than elsewhere. Taser is only deployed where circumstances dictate and by officers who have been carefully selected and trained in its use.

“Taser is used to resolve potentially dangerous situations, which may previously have necessitated a firearms response.

“This approach has enhanced the safety of the public and reduced the risk of injury to both officers and offenders alike. Home office figures, since 2001, show that Northumbria Police has seen the largest reduction in incidents where firearms officers have been deployed.

“This is contrary to the national trend.”

Meanwhile, a spokesman for Durham Police said: “Tasers are now an essential part of police kit.

“We encourage our officers to regard them as an extension to their personal protective equipment they already use.

“In many cases, the sight of them is enough to bring violent incidents to a sudden end.”