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."
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