Taser officers bolstered as attacks surge

More Tayside police officers will be issued with Tasers. The measure will protect both officers and the public as attacks on officers reach a five-year high.

A police chief told councillors nationally there had been around 7,000 assaults on police officers and staff over the past year.

Chief Superintendent Phil Davison was responding to a question about officer safety at a Perth and Kinross Council housing and communities committee meeting on September 8.

SNP Blairgowrie and Glens Councillor Tom McEwan raised concerns following a recent report from the Scottish Police Federation which revealed violent attacks on officers were at a five-year high.

Mr McEwan asked what was being done to protect officers working in rural Perth and Kinross.

Ch Supt Davison told councillors: “In the past year there have been about 7,000 assaults on police officers and staff.

“It’s not only up on the previous year, but it’s 18% up on the five-year average.

“It isn’t just police officers that are subject to that violence – it’s other emergency workers.

“In addition, there’s the clear and essential role we play to public safety – so we are always, as a service, reviewing the most appropriate options.”

He said Police Scotland’s position remained that they were an unarmed service with an armed capability.

The armed capability here is for the “higher risk incidents” in Perth and Kinross and Tayside.

Ch Supt Davison added: “There’s certainly no desire at this point to seek to move towards a routine arming.

“It’s looking at the benefits of less lethal options we may have to both increase the safety of our staff, but also by consequence increase wider public safety.”

He said the matter of body-worn cameras was the recent subject of a public consultation and a consultation with Perth and Kinross councillors.

Following a consultation on Tasers, Police Scotland has committed to uplift the number of Taser officers by 1,500 over the next couple of years.

Ch Supt Davison said: “We get a proportion of that – there will be a 50% uplift in our Taser officers’ capability and capacity within this financial year, then a further doubling of our number and spread over the... three years.”

SAFETY: Police Scotland has committed to uplift the number of Taser officers by 1,500.