Taser – Vital Police Tool or Excessive Force?

Written by TSF on. Posted in Crime and Justice

Last week a man was tasered outside Buckingham Palace; he was in possession of two blades and was making threats. It was felt by the police that this man ought to be tasered in order to end the situation which left onlookers in shock. The greater deployment and use of Taser is a matter for policing and the community and some of us have asked for a Taser National Media Strategy.

In 2011 the incident involving Mark Duggan sparked off rioting in the London boroughs; and this quickly spread to many parts of England. I say this carefully; whilst the Duggan incident was a spark for the riots, it was not necessarily the cause of all the rioting. The government must accept responsibility for its part in creating policies that were hitting young people and communities quite hard at a time of what we now know as a triple dip recession. Some of us may believe that the police and community will face conflict some times over contentious issues; issues such as the use of reasonable force are always controversial.

We also know that the Metropolitan Police (MPS) is now significantly increasing its availability of Taser within boroughs. The Met will probably lead in rolling out Taser deployment before other forces. Their experience will be absolutely critical to other police forces and the perception of the MPS in the community is a relevant factor. The incident outside Buckingham Palace was caught on camera by onlookers; this clip highlights why a wider strategy is important. One of the reviewers in this video questions the use of Taser in the incident as “unnecessary” and suggests it was “unlawful”.

The bizarre suggestion that Pepper Spray use was a more appropriate tactical alternative in this case is unjustifed.  The fact is there are some people who are anti police and clearly do not understand policing, its complexity nor the lawful use of force. Whether these negative views about Taser influence community perceptions of the police is something we ask?

To quote, “Section 3(1) of the Criminal Law Act 1967 allows for the use of “such force as is reasonable in the circumstances” for the prevention of crime, which includes using force to defend against an assailant. What is Reasonable Force? Because the circumstances of each case will inevitably be different, the statute is silent on what constitutes reasonable force, which leaves the decision to the jury to determine based on the evidence.

In my opinion the use of Taser in this incident was both justified and proportionate. If the law is clear in the example of the Buckingham Palace incident and still there is misunderstanding amongst our community this highlights a gap, the need for the service to explore how it communicates the message of Taser to the community. Remember it’s the community that need to understand what and why policing is pursuing a course, after all the police police by consent. There are those people that fear the police because they are criminals; whilst some criminal gangs don’t fear the police at all, and then there other violent and sometimes ill people the police and public will meet on the streets. A community strategy deployed effectively in the press, in schools and with young people might actually assist The Metropolitan Police and other Forces as the role out of Taser continues.

Thankfully the ACPO lead on Taser, Deputy Chief Constable Simon Chesterman, and Mike Pannett, an author and police spokesperson on behalf of the rank and file view possible initiatives to engage as positive. Wouldn’t it be refreshing if the ACPO lead on Taser and Mike Pannett were allowed to speak on these issues with Philip Schofield and set the record straight on this particular incident? Taser is feared by many, some even feel it is a lethal weapon, that it is excessive force and that it could seriously hurt mentally ill people. Interestingly today is the last day for submissions to the Adebowale Commission, an enquiry focusing on policing and mental health. I wonder therefore whether anyone has, to date taken the issue of Taser, mental health and communication strategy to the Commission. The police service must engage openly and honestly about Taser or it will miss this gem of an opportunity. Increasing Taser availability is required but it is a massive change in the perception of this level of Force that communities may not appreciate nor understand fully. On 12th February at 4pm DCC Simon Chesterton will be taking part in a live web chat about Taser. This is a part of ACPO’s overall strategy. If the service does not take the community with it then elements of the community will resist and reinforce negative perceptions of the service as a whole.

Guest Blog by @SirIanBlair

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Comments (1)

  • Phil30onfrontline

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    Believe it or not the Police have had Taser for 10 years . Its use periodically comes up in the media , mostly with a spin that its use by the Police is ‘heavy handed’.

    There have been two recent incidents that have highlighted this. A bodybuilder /Doorman was arrested after a violent struggle with Police Officers where Taser was used to control him and allow him to be handcuffed. Tragically ,he subsequently died .
    How was this reported ? -’ Man dies after being shot with Taser by Police ‘
    When the Inquest was completed several months later it was a much more subdued headline that reported that the cause of death – it was actually a drug called ‘MadCat’ .

    The world watched in amazement last week when the knife incident occurred outside the Palace . The Taser deployment quickly incapacitated the man with the knives and he was safely disarmed and arrested.
    If I’d have been present in the crowd – I’d have applauded the Police.

    For the most part the media reported on this with a positive spin, after all it was broadcast across the world – and what can’t speak , can’t lie .
    There were a few negative comments and I’m still pondering whether this is ignorance or just some anti-police angst amongst the commentators.

    A world- wide video clip of the knife man being sprayed with an incapacitant and going berserk in a mucous filled knife lashing frenzy whilst temporarily blinded and dis-orientated would have been awful.

    Perhaps they should have just struck him repeatedly with metal batons whilst he lashed out with the knives and try to injure his arms sufficently and cause him so much pain that he dropped the knives ?

    In any other country I suspect he may have been shot dead. Not here , our highly trained armed officers would have been concerned about the crowds – it’s called ‘back drop’ – and it’s the awful risk that a bullet misses or passes through the subject and hits an innocent by-stander.

    So the man was Tasered instead – an electric current messed with his nervous system , causing an involuntary muscle contraction that immobilised him and allowed him to be disarmed and everyone went home that night.
    The Met are to begin a roll out soon , equipping patrol officers with Taser.
    In my view its about time it was available to all of our Cops on patrol.
    What goes consistently unreported is how much violence and injury Taser prevents. It gets drawn several hundred times more than it gets used , and the mere un-holstering of it or switching on its red dot laser has stopped many a violent incident in its tracks . This however does not reach the media or the critics .
    What concerns me is the ever growing exposure to appalling violence our Police face. It’s not DIxon of Dock Green , it never has been. We’re seemingly content to let our Police wear stab vests and bullet proof vests but reticent about ‘arming’ them with a Taser . Funny old world isn’t it.

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