Police use of Tasers on children increases by 30% in one year
THE use of Tasers against children as young as 12 in Wales has increased by 30% in a year. There were 30 incidents where police officers used Tasers against children in Wales in 2016, up from 23 in 2015 and 19 in 2014.
North Wales Police (up from four to nine incidents) and Dyfed-Powys Police (up from two to four) have seen the biggest increases, while there were seven incidents involving Gwent Police (up from five) and 10 by South Wales Police (down from 12 the previous year).
The youngest child a Taser was used on was a 12-year-old in Monmouthshire who was “red-dotted” – when the Taser is aimed at a person, showing a red dot, usually as a warning – in 2016.
A Taser was drawn against a 14-year-old boy with a bladed weapon in South Wales and a 14-year-old boy was red-dotted by North Wales Police.
There were two incidents last year where South Wales Police fired Tasers, both involving 15-year-old boys. One occurred where the child was violent and the other involved an incident where the child had a bladed or blunt weapon.
North Wales Police discharged a Taser against a 17-year-old boy and Gwent Police fired on someone aged under 18 in Caerphilly.
All four incidents in Dyfed-Powys involved boys aged 16 who were reddotted.
Taser use is recorded in seven categories. The highest is fired, when the Taser is fired with a live cartridge; followed by angled drive stun and drive stun, when the taser is held against a person’s body and fired; red-dotted; arced, when the Taser is sparked without aiming or firing; aimed; and drawn.
There were 597 incidences of Tasers being used against children across the UK in 2016, according to figures released by police under the Freedom of Information Act.
This was a rise of 25% from 476 uses in 2015. Taser usage on under18s averaged around 500 uses per year between 2013-15, after rising steadily since Tasers were introduced in 2003.
Red-dotting was the most common useage in 2016, with 328 incidents, up 29% from 254 in 2015.
Tasers were drawn on 166 occasions, up 29% from 129 in 2015.
Tasers were slightly more likely to be fired, up from 40 discharges in 2015 to 42 in 2016. There were also two incidents where young people were drive-stunned. However, these numbers have been relatively consistent in recent years.
The youngest children a Taser was used against in 2016 were a 10-yearold by West Mercia Police, where a Taser was drawn, and a 10-year-old in the West Midlands Police force area who was red-dotted.
Tasers were used against under13s on 14 occasions in 2016, with five uses each against those aged 11 and seven uses against 12-year-olds.
Two 14-year-olds, one in West Lancashire and one in Norfolk, had Tasers fired at them in 2016.
Oliver Sprague, Amnesty International UK’s arms control director, said: “Any rise in the use of Tasers against children is of significant concern, not least because children are at much greater risk of serious harm from being subjected to this weapon.
“It must truly be a weapon of last resort, subject to intense scrutiny by the appropriate authorities with the most robust safeguards in place.”
North Wales Police Superintendent Rob Kirman said: ““Of the nine uses on people under 18 [in 2016], only one was a discharge – this was against a 17 year-old boy who was self-harming. He was under the influence of alcohol and was being aggressive towards officers. Four of the young people produced a weapon and seven showed aggression towards police.”
Gwent Police Superintendent Glyn Fernquest said: “Officers will always aim to resolve a violent or potentially violent incident without discharging a Taser and often the mere presence of a Taser is enough to defuse a situation. Unfortunately there are occasions when it is necessary to use a Taser to ensure the safety of our local communities. However, our officers are trained to do so in a proportionate and responsible manner.”
Chief Superintendent Eddie Ough, of South Wales Police, said: “Although rare, the use of Taser can sometimes include challenging situations involving individuals under 18 years of age – and this can be deployed to ensure we safeguard the public and our officers.”
Dyfed-Powys Police did not respond to a request for a statement.