Fall in force’s use of Tasers
TWO-THIRDS DROP IN YEAR
THE use of controversial Tasers by Northumbria Police plummeted last year, figures have revealed.
The latest data from the Home Office shows police in the area used the specialist stun devices a total of 35 times in 2016.
This was down by almost two thirds from the 91 times they were used the year before.
Officers discharged their Tasers on only 14 of those 35 occasions, which is down by almost half from the 26 times Tasers were discharged by police in 2015.
In all cases the Tasers were fired with a live cartridge, rather than on drive-stun or angle-drive stun, whereby the Taser is held against a person’s body and fired.
Officers also used Tasers to ‘red-dot’ people 12 times (meaning the Taser is partially activated and aimed in order to put a red dot on the subject), and drew their Tasers without taking any further action on nine occasions.
It means that, while the number of times Tasers were used at all in the area has gone down massively, Northumbria Police is actually the most likely force to discharge Tasers once they are drawn of any police force in the country.
In total, officers in the area ended up discharging their Tasers 40% of all times that Tasers were used.
Across England and Wales, Tasers were used by police 11,294 times – up slightly from the 10,390 occasions they were used in 2015. Half of the time Tasers were used to red-dot people, but they were also discharged by officers 1,910 times – 17% of all occasions on which they were used.
Of those Taser discharges, 1,755 were fired in full.
Taser use is recorded in seven categories, with the highest use in each incident recorded.
The category representing the most significant Taser use is ‘fired’, whereby the Taser is fired with a live cartridge; followed by ‘angled-drive stun’ and ‘drivestun’; ‘red-dotting’; ‘arcing’ – which is the sparking of the Taser without aiming or firing; aimed; and drawn.
Insp Louise Galliott-Thornton of the firearms support unit at Northumbria Police said: “Tasers are just one of many tools at our disposal for resolving violent incidents and will be deployed once an officer has made an appropriate and detailed risk assessment based upon the threat.
“These figures show Northumbria Police officers are increasingly using their specialist training to find alternative means to draw these incidents to a peaceful conclusion, protecting the safety of the public and police alike.
“We are proud that officers consider every situation carefully and are confident in their training to make the right decision when dealing with a violent or threatening situation.
“In the relatively small number of incidents in which Tasers have been used, we follow strict guidance, ensuring they are only used when there is a danger to the public or officers, or risk of self-harm.
“Any situation in which a Taser has been deployed is then swiftly reviewed to ensure that this has been proportionate, necessary, accountable, legal and least intrusive.
“It is encouraging to see that Tasers are not regularly being drawn in situations when it is not justified.”