TASERS DRAWN OVER 100 TIMES IN A YEAR AS VOLUNTEER COPS SET TO BE ARMED

Stunners used three times against children

POLICE in Staffordshire used Tasers more than 100 times in one year – as volunteer officers are set to be armed with the stun guns.

Home Secretary Priti Patel has announced that special constables will be allowed to carry Tasers, if authorised by their chief officers.

Volunteers will receive the same Taser training as constables.

There are around 8,900 volunteer officers in England and Wales, who have the same powers and uniforms as paid officers.

In 2020/21, police officers in Staffordshire used Tasers 108 times, compared to 173 in 2019/20, 269, in 2018/19, and 289 in 2017/18.

Last year, the pandemic and repeated lockdowns saw many types of crime fall.

Tasers, the brand name for conductive energy devices, can fire a high-voltage shock to temporarily disable a suspect.

However, in most of the uses in Staffordshire (87), the Taser was not discharged. Non-discharge uses include 13 where the Taser was drawn, 11 where it was aimed at a person, and 63 where it was activated to place a red targeting dot on a person.

However, in 18 incidents in 2020/21, the Taser was fired from a distance.

Most uses of Tasers by Staffordshire police involve adults. In 2020/21, there were no incidents where Tasers were discharged against children aged 11 to 17, but three where Tasers were used but not discharged.

The Home Office said that allowing special constables to carry Tasers will ensure they are not “at a disadvantage when facing an attacker wielding a knife or a marauding terrorist”.

Staffordshire Police says it is awaiting guidance on the use of Tasers by special constables.

A force spokesman said: “It is important that we recognise the invaluable work that our colleagues in the Special Constabulary perform on a regular basis and in doing so we need to make sure that they have the appropriate tools to protect the public, their colleagues and themselves.

“We are currently awaiting guidance from the NPCC regarding the decisions recently announced but we expect that it will be a decision for Chief Constables to make as to whether Special Constables are trained within their individual force areas based upon their own threat and risk assessments.”

Tasers were introduced in the UK in 2003, initially limited to firearms officers. Their use was extended in 2008, to non-firearms officers who complete the required training.

According to Home Office figures, Tasers were used 34,429 times in 2020/21, up from 32,058 times in 2019/20, 23,451 in 2018/19.

In 2009, figures showed 3,128 uses of Tasers.

While the use of Tasers has been rising, crime levels have generally been falling since the late 1990s.

According to Crime Survey of England and Wales estimates, crime was up 18 per cent in 2021 compared with the 2019.