150 officers trained and armed with tasers

Move was announced by police last year

SCORES of police officers across the county are now armed with Tasers and trained to use them.

Eighty officers from response and local policing are now carrying a Taser (also known as a Conductive Electrical Device) in addition to their colleagues in the East Midlands Operational Support Service (EMOpSS).

It brings the total number of specially trained officers across the force to 150.

The move was announced in November last year as a way to increase public safety and the safety of police officers.

Latest figures released by the Home Office show that Tasers were used across Leicestershire 90 times in 2016 but were only discharged 12 times.

It is a decrease in use from 2015 when they were used 103 times and a further drop since 2014 when they were used 158 times.

Previously, the Taser capability available to Leicestershire Police was only provided by EMOpSS officers who provide specialist police services to the communities of Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire.

Assistant Chief Constable Rob Nixon, said; “This Taser uplift means officers will be better equipped to protect the public and themselves.

“Taser reduces the need for physical contact and we know that the mere presence of a Taser is often enough to defuse an angry or dangerous situation and stop it escalating further.

“By training and equipping an additional 150 Leicester- shire officers with [Taser] capability we’re removing the pressure from our firearms officers and ensuring that we can respond more quickly and effectively with the appropriate resources.

“Our use of Taser is closely scrutinised by the Home Office to ensure it is used correctly and in the right circumstances.”

Earlier this year, spit hoods to be placed on the heads of offenders likely to spit at Leicestershire police officers were introduced.