Tasers drawn 400 times last year in county

POLICE in Derbyshire used Tasers nearly 400 times in one year – as volunteer officers are set to be armed with the stun guns.

Home Secretary Priti Patel announced at the Police Federation Conference that special constables will be allowed to carry Tasers, if authorised by 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 as paid officers.

In 2020/21, the most recent figures available, police officers in Derbyshire used Tasers 383 times, up from 211 in 2019/20. That was despite the pandemic and repeated lockdowns, which 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 Derbyshire (340) the Taser wasn’t discharged.

Non-discharge uses include 89 where the Taser was drawn, 22 where it was aimed at a person, 218 where it was activated to place a red targeting dot on a person, and 11 where it was arced, where the trigger is squeezed so electric currents arc between the two contact points on the front of the Taser.

However, in 41 incidents in 2020/21 the Taser was discharged, including 37 where it was fired from a distance and four where it was triggered in contact with a person.

Most uses of Tasers by Derbyshire police involve adults. However, in 2020/21 there were no incidents where Tasers were discharged against children aged 11 to 17, but 28 where Tasers were used but not discharged.

The Home Office said 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”.

Tasers were introduced in the UK in 2003, initially limited to firearms officers. Their use was extended in 2008 to nonfirearms 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. In 2009, figures show 3,128 uses of Tasers, although the figures may not be fully comparable due to changes in recording.

While Taser use has been rising, crime levels have generally been falling since the late-90s.

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

However, the rise was down to fraud and computer offences, crime excluding these decreased by 13 per cent compared with 2019.

Violent crime dropped by eight per cent in 2021, while crimes involving blades were down four per cent.