Met begins Taser stun gun trial

BBC
Monday December 10, 2007

More Metropolitan Police officers are now armed with Taser stun guns as part of a government trial.

From Monday non-firearms officers will be able to use the weapons which use a 50,000-volt charge to incapacitate those it is used on.

Up to 18 Tasers will be available for use in addition to the 280 currently used by the force.

Police watchdog the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) said while it still had concerns, it did support the scheme.

The MPA has expressed concerns about the "disproportionality of those the Taser is used against, the vulnerability of certain groups who may experience the threat of Taser use and the extent of officer training".

Cindy Butts of the MPA said: "While the concerns... have not gone away, MPA members came to the conclusion that we needed to move forward."

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Cdr Bob Broadhurst, who is leading the London pilot, said Tasers has been "safely and effectively" used in the Met since 2003.

He said: "Since then the landscape has changed and police are now dealing with more incidents of violence that fall below the threshold of an armed response."

Mr Broadhurst said the pilot sought to look at how best Taser guns could be used in traditional firearms scenarios, yet still deal with violent situations.

Full article here.

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