Sunday 22 June 2014

Interviewed on Nick Ferrari's Show on LBC 97.3 - 22 May 2014

Interviewed on Nick Ferrari's Show on an LBC investigation into Taser use.

Tasers Used 145 Times On Children In A Year

Thursday 21st May 2014
An LBC investigation has found police in England used tasers nearly 150 times on children under the age of 16 in 2013.
Some children as young as 12 were found to have been tasered. 
The investigation found Met Police used tasers on under 16s the most (37 times in a year), more than twice as often as any other force in the country.
Taser use is defined as a police officer's taser being drawn, aimed, arced, red dotted, drive stun, angled drive stun or fired.
The investigation found London's police force actually drew tasers 13 times in 2013.
37 police forces out of a possible 43 responded to LBC's Freedom of Information request which asked:
"How many times have tasers been used in your force  on people under the age of 16 in 2013?
Examples of why tasers were used include when an under 16 caused damage and threatened hospital staff, and when a youth was thought to have been in possession of a weapon. 

Interviewed on BBC Radio Wiltshire - 30 April 2014

30/04/2014, Ben Prater - BBC Wiltshire http://bbc.in/1mbyA86

Interviewed on the use of Taser on a naked man in a police cell by a Wiltshire police officer.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-27207706

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2616637/Watch-The-moment-naked-drunk-man-Tasered-strip-search-police-flicked-UNDERPANTS-officers-face.html

Featured in The Sunday Times Magazine - Don't tase me, bro! 13 April 2014

Featured in The Sunday Times Magazine - Don't tase me bro!

http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/Magazine/article1397444.ece

Interview on Roberto Perrone's Show on BBC Three Counties - 8 April 2014

08/04/2014, Roberto Perrone - BBC Three Counties Radio http://bbc.in/1eeAtO5
Interviewed on Taser use across the Three Counties.

Interviewed on BBC Radio Berkshire - 8 April 2014

08/04/2014, Andrew Peach - BBC Radio Berkshire http://bbc.in/1sv8LR1
Interviewed on BBC Radio Berkshire the Taser use across South of England.

Interviewed on The Breakfast Show at BBC London 94.9 - 8 April 2014

Police tasers and Peaches Geldoff, The Breakfast Show with Penny Smith and Paul Ross - BBC London 94.9 http://bbc.in/1huEWXV
Interviewed on the increased Taser use by Metropolitan Police.

Quoted in Daily Mail - Police used Tasers 28 times EVERY DAY last year sparking fears the stun gun is being mis-used on 27 March 2014

Quoted in Daily Mail:

Sophie Khan, legal director of Police Action Centre: 'The statistics show that there is an ongoing issue with the use of Tasers by police, especially as the statistics suggest that the Taser is being used as a compliance tool which is in direct contravention of the Taser Policy and Guidance.
'Now that up-to-date figures have been released the Home Office must take steps to address the concerns that have been repeatedly raised about Taser use to ensure we have policing by consent and not policing by compliance.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2590703/Police-use-taser-guns-surged-28-times-EVERY-DAY-year-sparking-fears-mis-used.html#ixzz35O0972FD

http://www.standard.co.uk/panewsfeeds/police-use-of-tasers-up-by-a-third-9230184.html

Interviewed on Clive Bull Show on LBC 97.3 - 6 March 2014

Interviewed on the Clive Bull Show about the increased use of Taser on children.

Police Taser Use On Children Soars 500%

Taser use on children by the Metropolitan Police has increased six-fold over the last four years.
Officers fired the weapon at children 131 times between 2008 and 2012.
LBC's Senior Reporter Tom Swarbrick says: "The figures come from the Children's Rights Alliance for England who say officers from all but nine boroughs in London fired tasers on children.
"In 2008 there were only 9 instances but that rose to 53 in 2012. nearly half of all the instances came from just four boroughs: Croydon, Southwark, Lambeth and Lewisham."
A child in Lambeth is 30 times more likely to be tasered than a youngster in Richmond.
The Met Police insist that the rise is in line with the increased usage of tasers across the board.
A statement read: "The increased use of Taser on under 18-year-olds is in line with the general increase in the use of Taser across the board which is as a direct result of the fact that over the past year taser-trained officers are now present on all 32 boroughs. 
"It is important to note that in the majority of cases the presence of a Taser (drawn, aimed, red dot, arced) is sufficient in bringing a violent or potentially violent situation to a swift conclusion.
"All officers authorised to carry Taser are thoroughly trained, and use it in accordance with all the relevant guidelines.
"The situations in which Taser is considered for use, along with existing tactical options, are those involving violence or threats of violence with such severity that officers would need to use force to protect the public, the subject themselves and their colleagues. 
"Taser creates space between the subject and police, reducing the need for physical contact and also the risk of unintended or unnecessary injuries to all parties.
"Every use is recorded and monitored."

http://www.lbc.co.uk/police-taser-use-on-children-soars-500-87012

Interviewed on Good Morning Wales - 30 January 2014

30/01/2014, Good Morning Wales - BBC Radio Wales http://bbc.in/1kbPWgr
Interviewed on the rise in Taser use by Welsh police forces

police officer with TaserPolice forces say the Taser often acts as a deterrent

Related Stories

A rise in the number of times police were authorised to use Taser guns is a cause for concern, said a charity.
Gwent, North and South Wales police forces authorised Taser use 1,748 times in 2013, compared with 1,271 in 2012 - a rise of 477.
But the number of times Tasers were fired in Wales has remained relatively static over the last three years.
Police forces said Tasers could be successful in deterring violence in high-risk situations.
Last year a Taser was fired 49 times in Wales, resulting in six reported injuries.
Tasers work by using an electrical charge to disrupt signals from the brain to the muscles causing temporary paralysis which lasts a few seconds.
The number of times officers were authorised to use a Taser rose by more than a third in 2013, according to figures obtained by BBC Radio Wales from three out of the four police forces in Wales. Dyfed Powys Police did not provide figures for authorisations.
The Police Action Centre (PAC) - a charity which represents about a dozen people in the UK who have been injured by a Taser - said the increase in authorisations represents a change to a style of policing by force.
"The figures are concerning because the level of violent crime remains the same and there's no real increase in the level of crime across the country - and that applies to Wales as well," said Sophie Khan, a solicitor advocate and legal director of PAC.
Police force area201120122013
SOURCE: POLICE FORCES
South Wales Police
Authorisations
854
973
1392
Full discharge
17
10
15
North Wales Police
Authorisations
81
48
57
Full discharge
19
13
22
Dyfed Powys Police
Authorisations
N/A
N/A
N/A
Full discharge
9
2
3
Gwent Police
Authorisations
240
250
299
Full discharge
25
24
9
"But the number of authorisations continues to increase, and Tasers should only be used if there is a life-threatening incident to a member of the public or police - and that would involve a rise in violent crime and that isn't happening in this case."
Ms Khan said that in the USA and other countries there was a style of policing by force while in the UK the tradition was of policing "by consent".
She added the figures showed that police officers in Wales were using Tasers outside life-threatening incidents and there were questions as to whether the use was lawful.

Start Quote

In the majority of incidents, the mere threat of its use has been enough to deter assailants and ensure a peaceful resolution of the incident”
Julian WilliamsAssistant Chief Constable
Supt Gary Ashton, from North Wales Police, said while the number of Tasers had not increased within the force, more staff had been trained in their use.
"The Taser is brightly coloured and overtly worn by officers and therefore clearly visible when they attend incidents," he said.
"Taser officers attending some incidents of disorder report that because members of the public are aware the officer has a Taser, and presumably are aware of the effects, they are more amenable to officer requests."
Assistant Chief Constable Julian Williams, from South Wales Police, said the Taser provided an "additional tool to defuse high-risk situations involving extreme violence or the threat of violence".
"In the majority of incidents, the mere threat of its use has been enough to deter assailants and ensure a peaceful resolution of the incident," he added.
A spokesperson for Gwent Police said officers who used Tasers were specially trained in line with national guidelines. Each situation where Tasers were used was risk assessed, and deployment was granted by an authorised individual.
"The number of times the Taser has been fired is a relatively small number and this shows that the mere presence of a Taser acts as a deterrent to a potential offender," said the force.
"It should also be noted that not all violent incidents warrant the authorisation of a Taser and that there are reductions in the numbers of firearms incidents."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-25957591

http://www.southwales-eveningpost.co.uk/Tasers-defuse-high-risk-situations-8221-involving/story-20530441-detail/story.html

Interviewed on BBC Radio Berkshire - 30 January 2014

30/01/2014, Andrew Peach - BBC Radio Berkshire http://bbc.in/Lu9JvV
Interviewed on the lost taser in Windsor Great Park.


TaserThe weapon was mislaid as the officer left the site to attend another incident
A policeman has been suspended after losing a Taser in Windsor Great Park.
The device was lost by the Thames Valley Police officer on Tuesday afternoon as he left the site to attend an incident in Datchet.
Supt Steve Williams, head of the tactical firearms unit, said it had the potential to cause harm "if used or handled incorrectly".
An "extensive" search in the Windsor area, and a full investigation into the incident, are under way.
The weapon, which has no cartridges attached to it, is thought to have been mislaid as the officer exited the park into Bishops Gate Road.
Supt Williams added: "If any member of the public should come across this device they need to contact Thames Valley Police immediately for us to recover it, as it is an offence to unlawfully possess this sort of device."
Tasers were first trialled in 2004 and their use has since been rolled out to all forces in England and Wales.
Officers are required to take a training course before being allowed to use a Taser and they are told only to deploy them when threatened with violence.
The 5,000-acre Windsor Great Park is owned by The Crown Estate.
It started out as a Norman hunting forest, which was enclosed in the late 13th Century, and still includes a deer park.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-berkshire-25953000

Interviewed on BBC Radio Berkshire - 17 January 2014

17/01/2014, Andrew Peach - BBC Radio Berkshire http://bbc.in/1j67jPn
Interviewed on BBC Berkshire on the increased use of Tasers in Thames Valley.

Charity criticises police over Taser use

Amnesty International concerned after instances of Taser use by Thames Valley police double from 2012 to 2013
Press Association The Guardian
Taser gun fired
Thames Valley police announced last year that it was increasing the number of officers equipped with Tasers from 280 to 485. Photograph: Danny Lawson/PA
police force that almost doubled its use of Tasers last year has been criticised by Amnesty International UK. Thames Valley police revealed that its officers deployed electric stun guns 119 times in 2013, compared with 61 occasions in 2012.
The figures for last year include several instances of "drive stun" usage, when a Taser is directly applied to a person's clothes or body. In January 2013 the force announced it would increase the number of officers equipped with Tasers from 280 to 485.
Amnesty International UK has called for the use of the weapons to be restricted to officers trained to the standard of specialist firearms personnel.
Oliver Sprague, a director at the charity, said: "Without urgently needed new safeguards, and at these significantly increased rates of usage, it's surely only a matter of time before something goes horribly wrong when a Thames Valley Police officer fires a Taser weapon.
"We've always said that Tasers can have a part to play in policing operations where there's a clear risk of death or serious injury to police officers or members of the public - but Tasers should be used sparingly and only by highly trained officers."
In 2004, following a trial in five forces, it was agreed to allow chief officers of all police forces in England and Wales to make Tasers available to authorised firearms officers.
There have been a number of controversial cases involving use of the stun guns - including blind pensioner Colin Farmer who was hit with the weapon in Chorley, Lancashire, when an officer mistook his white stick for a Samurai sword.
In April last year Andrew Pimlott died after being burned when he doused himself in flammable liquid and was then hit by a police Taser outside his Plymouth home.
Thames Valley Police assistant chief constable Chris Shead defended the force's use of the weapon. "Only qualified Thames Valley Police officers are permitted to carry Taser," he said.
"Taser is only considered for use in cases where it is necessary and proportionate to the behaviour the officer encounters .. These are incidents where officers are faced with someone who is threatening a significant level of violence towards themselves, others or the attending officer. Taser use is a staged process.
"On many occasions the use of the laser sight, or red dot, is enough to encourage people to comply … as demonstrated in 2013. They have only been fired 31 times."
In response to a Freedom of Information request, Thames Valley Police revealed the number of times their officers have deployed Tasers since September 2007:
2007 (September onwards): seven times
2008: 18 times
2009: 43 times
2010: 58 times
2011: 42 times
2012: 61 times
2013 (January-November): 119 times

Interviewed on BBC Radio Oxford on 17 January 2014

Eoin Hartwrigh from Appleford, Phil Gayle - BBC Radio Oxford http://bbc.in/1guSDYq
Interview with Phil Gayle on the increased use of Tasers by Thames Valley Police.

Sunday 5 January 2014

Interviewed on the JVS Show BBC Three Counties - Taser Special on 20 December 2013.

Interviewed on the The JVS Show, Taser Special.


Hear what happened when JVS held an evening of debate on the use of tasers. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01m34l8

Interviewed on Andrew Castle's Show LBC 97.3 on 8 December 2013

Interviewed on Andrew Castle's Show on LBC 97.3  on the taser use in special needs school in Plymouth.
Should MPs have a pay rise?
Andrew Castle | The Whole ShowPremium content - subscription required | 2h 12m 5s | 08.12.13