South Yorkshire Police to see over 50% of frontline officers armed with Taser

OVER half of all South Yorkshire Police officers will be getting access to Taser.

It’s a move backed by South Yorkshire Police Federation which knows it can be a useful tool for officers and an important deterrent against them and others being assaulted.

Nationally £10m has been ringfenced by the Government to pay for a wider roll-out of Taser across forces in England and Wales – plans which will depend on the result of the December general election.

Federation Chairman Steve Kent is delighted with the prospect of more officers having access to the non-lethal stun weapon but would like to increase the numbers further.

“Our Chief has committed to an uplift of just over 50% of frontline officers with Taser,” he said.

“When you compare that to the Met we’re already ahead of the curve.

“My desire, and I’m going to keep pushing the Chief, is to push for 100%. But I think that’ll be a natural evolution to 100% rather than a knee-jerk decision.

“The 50% is a huge uplift, and it’s positive news. For instance in Sheffield and Doncaster where you’ll have 10-15 officers, of which two or three will have a Taser, you’re now looking at seven, eight, nine and that’s a huge difference.”

The public in South Yorkshire broadly support seeing Taser on the belts of officers, Steve said, and he believes the rollout is positive for everyone concerned.

“It’s better for the public because they don’t have to essentially wait for more specialised officers to come. I think the public generally support Taser.

“The visual deterrent of it for officers out on the beat as well, it’s a big yellow device, people can see it, I think it’s a positive thing for both officers and the public.

“Ultimately, it’s in everyone’s interests that officers can protect themselves, and I always keep saying when people are critical of Taser, what would they rather happen for a violent subject?

“Would they rather be given a bolt from a Taser which gives them five seconds of incapacity or would they rather be tackled with a baton which could potentially cause them serious injuries?

“Training for Taser as well is of an extremely high standard. I’ve been through the Taser training myself for several years, so it really does keep the officer’s feet on the ground in terms of responsible use.”