Quoted in The Eastern Eye - The trouble with tasers - 1 November 2013

The trouble with tasers

TASER guns should only be used by police in life-threatening situations, a leading lawyer has urged.

 TASER guns should only be used by police in life-threatening situations, a leading lawyer has urged.

Sophie Khan is campaigning this month on improving police training following cases of people suffering heart or mental health problems after being tasered.

Khan, legal director of the Police Action Centre charity, represents people with taser-related injuries among them an Asian man with mental health problems, suing the police.

The solicitor (pictured right) said the use of tasers, where an electric current is fired causing muscle spasms, needs to be reviewed because of the risk of injury.

She told Eastern Eye: “Tasers should only be used when there is a life-threatening risk to members of the public or police. Any use outside of this strict criteria becomes unlawful.

“There is a place for tasers in British policing, provided the tasers is used in accordance with the taser policy and guidance.

“Over the next few weeks I will be campaigning on the taser training and how this can be improved. I would like the training to be more in line with training provided to firearms officers.”

Khan added: “Firearms officers have to be recertified every six months and I would like a similar re-certification system to be introduced for taser-trained officers.”

Police use of tasers is rising, with incidents involving tasers rocketing from around 3,128 in 2009 to 7,877 in 2011.

Last week, two police officers were sacked after a man was unlawfully arrested and shot five times with a stun gun in Liverpool.

Khan said she is representing the brother of an Asian man tasered in a hospital in his claim against the police.

“The man was suffering from mental health problems at the time of being tasered,” she said.

“The police were called to assist the hospital staff in restraining the man; however, on the facts of the case the use of the taser is questionable and is now subject to a legal challenge.”

Khan explained: “If the taser is fired at the chest, then there is a risk that the individual may have a cardiac arrest.

“If the individual is suffering from mental health issues, then their condition is exacerbated by the use of the taser on them.

“There is also the psychological symptoms that individuals suffer following the incident.” Taser guns were  trialled in 2004 and were rolled out to specialist police units in 2008.

Estelle du Boulay, director of the Newham Monitoring Project (NMP) campaign group, told EE:”It is clearly unacceptable to roll out taser without transparency about decision-making and a lack of community engagement.

“Our casework sadly echoes official statistics, evidencing disproportionate taser use against people from black and minority ethnic communities, with victims overwhelmingly suffering from pre-existing health conditions.

“NMP is deeply concerned at the use of a weapon that poses a risk of death or serious injury and the lack of robust accountability systems that accompany it.”

Simon Chesterman is deputy chief constable of West Mercia Police and the national policing lead for armed police.

He said: “When taser, or any other force is used on an individual, a police officer will always have to justify their actions as being necessary and proportionate under the law.

“Every chief constable makes a decision, based on an assessment of the risks in their own area, to train and deploy a proportionate number of offic-

ers to use taser so that the public are kept safe and their officers are protected as far as possible.

“In certain circumstances, the use of taser is more appropriate than conventional firearms in resolving dangerous situations safely and without the risk of serious injury.

 “Anyone arrested after being subjected to taser is examined by a forensic medical examiner.” 

 The trouble with tasers http://shar.es/8auwP

TASER guns should only be used by police in life-threatening situations, a leading lawyer has urged.

Sophie Khan is campaigning this month on improving police training following cases of people suffering heart or mental health problems after being tasered.

Khan, legal director of the Police Action Centre charity, represents people with taser-related injuries among them an Asian man with mental health problems, suing the police.

The solicitor (pictured right) said the use of tasers, where an electric current is fired causing muscle spasms, needs to be reviewed because of the risk of injury.

She told Eastern Eye: “Tasers should only be used when there is a life-threatening risk to members of the public or police. Any use outside of this strict criteria becomes unlawful.

“There is a place for tasers in British policing, provided the tasers is used in accordance with the taser policy and guidance.

“Over the next few weeks I will be campaigning on the taser training and how this can be improved. I would like the training to be more in line with training provided to firearms officers.”

Khan added: “Firearms officers have to be recertified every six months and I would like a similar re-certification system to be introduced for taser-trained officers.”

Police use of tasers is rising, with incidents involving tasers rocketing from around 3,128 in 2009 to 7,877 in 2011.

Last week, two police officers were sacked after a man was unlawfully arrested and shot five times with a stun gun in Liverpool.

Khan said she is representing the brother of an Asian man tasered in a hospital in his claim against the police.

“The man was suffering from mental health problems at the time of being tasered,” she said.

“The police were called to assist the hospital staff in restraining the man; however, on the facts of the case the use of the taser is questionable and is now subject to a legal challenge.”

Khan explained: “If the taser is fired at the chest, then there is a risk that the individual may have a cardiac arrest.

“If the individual is suffering from mental health issues, then their condition is exacerbated by the use of the taser on them.

“There is also the psychological symptoms that individuals suffer following the incident.” Taser guns were  trialled in 2004 and were rolled out to specialist police units in 2008.

Estelle du Boulay, director of the Newham Monitoring Project (NMP) campaign group, told EE:”It is clearly unacceptable to roll out taser without transparency about decision-making and a lack of community engagement.

“Our casework sadly echoes official statistics, evidencing disproportionate taser use against people from black and minority ethnic communities, with victims overwhelmingly suffering from pre-existing health conditions.

“NMP is deeply concerned at the use of a weapon that poses a risk of death or serious injury and the lack of robust accountability systems that accompany it.”

Simon Chesterman is deputy chief constable of West Mercia Police and the national policing lead for armed police.

He said: “When taser, or any other force is used on an individual, a police officer will always have to justify their actions as being necessary and proportionate under the law.

“Every chief constable makes a decision, based on an assessment of the risks in their own area, to train and deploy a proportionate number of offic-

ers to use taser so that the public are kept safe and their officers are protected as far as possible.

“In certain circumstances, the use of taser is more appropriate than conventional firearms in resolving dangerous situations safely and without the risk of serious injury.

 “Anyone arrested after being subjected to taser is examined by a forensic medical examiner.” 

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