Response to latest Home Office statistics on police Taser use in England and Wales

Commander Neil Basu, said: “Taser use is subject to a high degree of oversight and immense scrutiny, as is only right, and all uses are recorded and reported to the Home Office.

“It is a testament to the extensive and consistent Taser training police receive that the most frequent use of the device (51 per cent) is the use of the red dot – the red laser light used to aim the device at a subject – and that non-discharges, where the device was not fired, accounted for around three quarters of uses between 2009 and 2012 and 80 per cent of uses in 2013.

“When police officers use force there is no such thing as a 100 per cent risk-free option. All options carry some form of risk. Taser is a less-lethal weapon. It poses significantly less risk than other tactical options used by the police such as a metal baton, police dog and CS spray.

“Officers are trained to use Taser to deal with violence or threats of violence and they are individually accountable in law for the amount of force they use.

“Taser has safely resolved situations where a person has been intent on serious self harm. Officers are trained to consider the vulnerability of the person and factors such as age and stature form part of this assessment.

“Ultimately if an individual is acting violently and presents a risk of serious harm to a member of the public, the officer, or themselves, then Taser, along with others, is a considered option.

“In the UK before they deploy with Taser, police officers are selected for the role and subjected to comprehensive training. This training deals with the technicalities of handling and using the device and also the circumstances under which it can be lawfully used.

“Analysis of today’s figures shows that, on average, Taser use by officers is actually very infrequent and that, across the UK, only 12 per cent of officers actually carry a Taser. When officers carrying Taser are deployed to an incident, they may draw and aim it but currently on 80 per cent of occasions do not actually fire. The majority of the time its mere presence acts as an effective deterrent.

“Just over five years ago, the Home Secretary allocated additional funding to support the extended roll out of Taser. Approximately 5,500 additional Tasers were procured and by 2011 were distributed among forces.

“A push on Taser training at that time means we also saw a significant increase in the number of officers qualified and equipped to use Taser.

“The increase we see in the figures released today accounts for a corresponding increase in the number of Taser users during this period.”

Ends –

The statistics may be viewed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/police-use-of-taser-statistics-england-and-wales-2012-to-2013-data-tables

A Taser works not by power, but by the way it sends the current into the body and how the muscles respond.

It has been wrongly reported in the past that those who are Tasered are struck with 50,000 volts. This is NOT the case. The Taser itself is powered by 50,000 volts but the power expended in a single shot is 0.0021 amps – less than is needed to power a single fairy light.

The medical implications associated with Taser are closely monitored by an independent panel of medical advisers who also look at learning from across the world. Such monitoring shows that risks associated with Taser are largely secondary, as a result of falling, rather than the energy conducted through the device.

The use of Taser on those aged 18 or under represents only a tiny percentage of overall use. Similarly, those under 18 are much less likely to encounter Taser when you compare the number of youths officers deal with every day.

The expression ‘Taser use’ can be subdivided into seven categories. These are:

Drawn - Drawing of Taser in circumstances where any person could reasonably perceive the action to be a use of force.

Aiming - Deliberate aiming of the Taser at a targeted subject.

Arcing - Sparking of the Taser without aiming it or firing it.

Red-dotted/dotting - The weapon is not fired. Instead, the Taser is deliberately aimed and then partially activated so that a laser red dot is placed onto the subject

Fired - The Taser is fired with a live cartridge installed. When the trigger is pulled, the probes are fired towards the subject with the intention of creating an electrical circuit and delivering an incapacitating effect.

Drive stun - The Taser is held against the subject’s body and the trigger is pulled with no probes being fired. Contact with the subject completes the electrical circuit which causes pain and discomfort but does not deliver an incapacitating effect. Use of drive stun is taught as a self-defence method for Taser-trained officers but not recommended for common use during Taser deployments.

Angled Drive Stun - The officer fires the weapon with a live cartridge installed. One or both probes may attach to the subject. The officer then holds the Taser against the subject’s body in a different area to the probe(s), in order to complete the electrical circuit and deliver an incapacitating effect.

For more information please contact:

ACPO Press Office
Association of Chief Police Officers
e: press.office@acpo.pnn.police.uk