Call For All Officers To Have Taser

SOUTH Yorkshire Police Federation wants all officers to have access to Taser – and says the cost of this should be met by the Government.

Ensuring Taser is on the hip of all officers across England and Wales is being billed as a potential important tactic in the ongoing battle against the increasing violence meted out to officers on the frontline.

One Chief Constable, Northamptonshire’s Nick Adderley, has vowed to make his force the first to issue the less-lethal weapon to his officers as part of their standard kit. He says when it comes to violence against his officers, “enough is enough”, adding that Taser can help combat the rising tide of attacks.

It’s a sentiment echoed by South Yorkshire Police Federation Chairman Steve Kent, although he recognises the difficult budgeting balancing job the force faces.

He explained: “Our ultimate aim is that all frontline officers will carry Taser.

“But from South Yorkshire’s perspective, this has to be centrally funded. Our force is currently, and quite rightly, spending its resources on restoring the number of officers to an acceptable level. So, any uplift in Taser numbers will be welcome but I think we’d require major investment and it would have to come centrally.

“Bigger forces without big resources, and South Yorkshire fits that bill, are going to struggle more than the smaller forces who are not going to have to uplift as many officers to actually do it.

“So, we want everyone to have Tasers, but we understand the costs involved and we’re managing other costs at the minute.”

Steve is a firm believer in the deterrent powers Taser can provide.

He added: “There is some footage of an officer [being assaulted] in London … and he probably would have died if it hadn’t been for his Taser.

“Coming from someone who used to carry a Taser, the training is second to none.

“Having them is not going to encourage inappropriate use. And the public perception of Taser, I think, is changing anyway.

“The majority of the public would support us on Taser use because it’s better to Taser somebody and have five seconds of incapacity, than to have to use your baton on somebody.

“For me, it’s an absolute no brainer. It’s just about cost. That’s why we need a central line coming from Government to say, ‘we’ll pay for officers across the country to have a Taser’, because that helps the forces who don’t have the same resources, who obviously need that.”