Officer assaults – Taser will help #ProtectTheProtectors

TASER is a vital piece of kit for police officers to ensure their safety and to protect the public, the Chair of South Yorkshire Police Federation has said.

Zuleika Payne said there are currently some 360 police officers trained to use Taser in South Yorkshire Police – and it is important that these numbers are maintained. She mentioned the example of injured colleague PC Lisa Bates as an example of the need for Tasers.

She said: “Only this year we had an incredibly horrific incident when PC Lisa Bates attended what appeared to be a routine call which unfolded quite drastically and she was severely attacked, and when you consider the circumstances of that incident it illustrates very graphically the importance of Taser as a non-lethal option.

“Lisa has been relatively lucky but matters could have been a whole lot worse. When you consider what that officer was up against it brings home to us how important it is that officers have this option available to them. We don’t want another incident like that but unfortunately when you look at the statistics around officer assaults, it’s not a case of ‘if’, it’s always a case of ‘when’.”

Zuleika added: “With Taser it’s really important as well that on deployment officers are supported when that deployment is authorised, and we have to make a clear distinction between Taser deployment and Taser usage.

“Officers may get called to an incident where it is deemed that they have the authority for deployment but it’s not always the case that it will actually be taken into use. It could be that it’s just removed from the holster and nothing more, so we must always make a clear distinction when talking about Taser as to whether it’s deployed or actually used.”

An Ipsos MORI poll for the Police Federation of England and Wales, showed that 71% of the public back police officers carrying a Taser and that 80% of those surveyed said it would make no difference to their decision, or they would be more likely, to approach an officer for assistance if they were carrying a Taser.

In addition, 89% said forces should be allowed to train and equip officers if the use of Taser is automatically recorded by Body Worn Video.

Zuleika said: “When you consider Taser usage – and you take into consideration the use of force continuum – Taser can be a safer option, when you consider other tactical options which could include deployment of spray or dog biting.

“At the moment we have approximately 360-380 officers who have been trained to use Taser. Now given the training standards which have to be met, the guidance from the College of Policing and the requirement for annual refresher training, if we are going to be effective in how we sustain this it would mean that we’re not necessarily immediately considering an uplift, but more maintaining the status quo so that the number of officers that we have trained to use Taser is maintained.

“If officers leave the organisation or move to other departments laterally those vacancies that become available have to be filled.”