SCORES of the region’s police officers are set to gain a controversial new skill to combat crime on the streets.
As part of a Home Office pilot scheme, Northumbria Police has been selected as one of only 10 forces nationwide to extend the use of Tasers, weapons which shoot an electrical charge of 50,000 volts into a suspect’s torso in a five second burst.
The first phase of the pilot scheme began in July, when firearms officers were trained in the use of the Taser as an extra tool against those committing public order offences.
And from tomorrow, a further 100 beat officers are to be trained in the safe deployment of a Taser, which subdues a suspect by overriding their central nervous system, causing them to lose all muscular control.
Chief superintendent Neil Mackay, head of Northumbria Police Operations Department, said: “Initially we are training 100 frontline staff, those that have volunteered for additional training. They will continue to carry out their normal area command policing duties, but will be available to respond to situations as and when a Taser could be needed.
“The aim is to have a readily available range of options to deal more effectively with any threatening or violent situations. The Taser is just one of those options and by increasing the number of officers able to deploy them, we are greatly reducing risks to the public and suspects themselves, as well as enhancing the safety of frontline officers.”
News of the pilot scheme came just a day after the inquest of a Durham man whose family feel the use of a Taser contributed to his death.
Barbara Hodgson, 47, of Helmsley Green, Gateshead, whose brother, 46-year-old Brian Loan, suffered a fatal heart attack three days after a Taser was used on him, refused to accept the verdict of natural causes in her brother’s death, and feels police don’t know enough about the weapon’s effects.
She said: “I can’t believe they are going to give Tasers to everyday police officers. At my brother’s inquest even the coroner said that in five or 10 years’ time they may prove a link between the use of Tasers and people dying.”
Chief Superintendent Mackay added: “This is part of a Home Office pilot and they are happy that Tasers are safe to use. There is a risk of danger with any sort of force, including restraining people physically, but that danger is proportionate to the situation it is being used in.
“The officers were all carefully selected for training in use of a Taser and, as with the use of any legitimate force, the Taser will only be deployed when circumstances dictate and a suspect is posing a risk to the public, the officers or even to themselves.”
