ALL frontline officers should have access to Taser, according to South Yorkshire Police Federation.<\/p>\n
Take-up and distribution of the non-lethal weapon is varied across forces in England and Wales, but it\u2019s uniformly praised as being a vital part of their kit by officers.<\/p>\n
Stats show just drawing Taser can be enough to quell potentially difficult situations and help officers get violent offenders off the streets.<\/p>\n
And while provision South Yorkshire is good, Federation Chair Steve Kent said all officers should have access to it.<\/p>\n
He was speaking after Northamptonshire Police Chief Constable Nick Adderley promised to give all his officers a Taser if they want one, after being reportedly \u2018sick of the assaults\u2019 on his colleagues.<\/p>\n
Steve said: \u201cFor me, all frontline officers should be given Taser; that has to be the ultimate endgame.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am more than happy and pleased with the approach the South Yorkshire force is taking in aiming for the 50% mark, which is a significantly higher number than a lot of forces.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re on a really good road when it comes to Taser, and I fully applaud that.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey have been some anxieties around it, but public support is there [for Taser], so credit to the force.<\/p>\n
\u201cUltimately, my policy point on this and our policy point as a Federation is that every frontline officer who\u2019s required to wear protective equipment should have a Taser.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s that deterrent element that makes it such a vital bit of kit on the modern officer\u2019s belt, Steve added.<\/p>\n
Just having it can provide real reassurance to them when they are out on the frontline, especially if when they are on their own.<\/p>\n
Steve said: \u201cWe know that even though our policy is that officers should be double-crewed at all times, sometimes that won\u2019t happen whether that be because the force decides to deploy officers as single-crewed or if officers are out on enquiries where it\u2019s not appropriate to double-crew.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo have Taser gives them that extra bit of protection; it\u2019s a deterrent.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve got a really bright yellow light on your body armour, and when I used to carry my Taser, you could see people looking at it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you have a confrontation, you can see people looking at it, and I only ever had to use mine once in five years carrying it. It\u2019s another part of the shield.\u201d<\/p>\n
South Yorkshire Police has said it wants at least half of its officers to have Taser.<\/p>\n