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24 November 2008
Funding for up to 10,000 new Tasers was announced by Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, today.
The drive will support a wider roll-out of Tasers to all police forces in England and Wales.
The roll-out will extend the use of Tasers beyond dedicated firearms officers to police response officers following a successful trial in 10 forces.
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.
Home Secretary’s statement
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.
'But 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 am giving the police 10,000 Tasers to ensure that officers across the country benefit from this form of defence.'
Statement from the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO)
Derek Talbot, ACPO spokesperson on Taser and Assistant Chief Constable of Northamptonshire Police, said: 'ACPO welcomes 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 10 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 reinforces the value of Tasers as a useful tool to make the public and officers safer and to resolve potentially violent situations effectively and rapidly.
'The conclusions of this trial provide 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.'
Statement from the Police Federation of England and Wales
Paul McKeever, Chairman, Police Federation of England and Wales, said 'I’d like to thank the Home Secretary for listening to our call for the further roll out of Tasers. This investment is testament to the hard work, dedication and professionalism of police officers nation wide and recognises the vital role Tasers plays in the fight against crime.
'It is important that forces utilise this additional funding; Tasers is not only an effective piece of preventative equipment, which supports officers and the public in the resolution of incidents, but the successful adoption of a less lethal alternative to firearms once again benchmarks British policing as a world leader at the forefront of technological advancement.'
Taser use - statistics
Today’s announcement follows reports from the Association of Chief Police Officers (new window) and the Home Office Scientific Development Branch (new window) which found that Tasers improved both public and police officer safety in incidents involving serious violence.
Statistics from the trial show of the 661 recorded uses of Tasers, over 75 per cent involved the weapon just being drawn 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 will be 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 (new window) on its use.
Notes to editors
- The ACPO trial evaluation report can be found on the ACPO website (new window).
- The Home Office Scientific Development Branch has published a report showing the figures on the use of Tasers (new window) by all forces in England and Wales.
- Independent Medical Advice (new window) on Taser use can be found on the Home Office website.
- Independent medical advisors assessed the trial and assessed the risk of serious injury or death as very low when used according to trial criteria. There were no serious injuries or deaths associated with Taser in the trial. There have been no deaths or serious injuries associated with any use of Taser in the UK.
