Fears that new Tasers could hit bystanders

POLICE COULD be issued with new Tasers despite tests raising concerns that bystanders may be inadvertently hit when they are discharged amid questions over their accuracy.

Home Secretary Priti Patel approved the use of the Taser 7, hailing it as a “safe and effective tool for apprehending criminals” even though government scientists highlighted potential problems with its performance during trials.

The Home Office says it is “more effective than its predecessors”, is “more accurate, faster and compact than previous models” and has “undergone full safety and technical assessments”.

But trials warned the stun guns could cause more pain and put people at a higher risk of being injured.

The tests also found the latest version of the weapon had higher “miss rates” than the existing X2 and X26 models used by officers in England and Wales.

The news comes after the police watchdog called for greater scrutiny of officers’ use of Tasers.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct warned in May of growing concerns of the “disproportionate” use of the weapon against black people and those with mental health problems as it launched a probe into several incidents.

Tasers, which hit a suspect with a high-voltage electric shock, were used in 23,000 incidents in the year to March 2019 and were discharged 2,700 times – the highest number on record.

The Taser 7 allows officers to quickly fire a second shot if the first fails and has an added green laser beam which is to help the user aim better in daytime.

Forces can now buy the new model.

But according to a report from the Scientific Advisory Committee on the Medical Implications of Less-Lethal Weapons (SACMILL), shocks fired from a Taser 7 “may be more painful for the subject”.

It warned of a rise in the number of incidents of darts “penetrating the body to their full depth” as well as injuries to “deeper-lying organs and tissues”.

There were also concerns about a possible rise in skull injuries and “vulnerable areas” of the head and neck being struck as barbs “may have a tendency to stray further from the point of aim”.

The “hazard presented from free-flying probes” could pose a “new injury risk” to passersby, the report also said, adding that officers are expected to be trained to have a “heightened awareness of the area behind the subject”.

One of the trials, carried out by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory at Porton Down, was “particularly noteworthy” because it found a “miss rate” of 57.6 per cent as opposed to 2.8 per cent and 8.3 per cent for the existing X2 and X26 models.

The Police Federation of England and Wales, which represents rank and file officers, welcomed the decision amid concerns over a rise in assaults on police, with the body’s national vice chairman Che Donald describing it as a “vital piece of equipment” to keep everyone safe.

Vital piece of equipment to keep everyone safe. Che Donald, of the Police Federation.