OVER half of all South Yorkshire Police officers will be getting access to Taser.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
Nationally \u00a310m has been ringfenced by the Government to pay for a wider roll-out of Taser across forces in England and Wales \u2013 plans which will depend on the result of the December general election.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur Chief has committed to an uplift of just over 50% of frontline officers with Taser,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you compare that to the Met we\u2019re already ahead of the curve.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy desire, and I\u2019m going to keep pushing the Chief, is to push for 100%. But I think that\u2019ll be a natural evolution to 100% rather than a knee-jerk decision.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe 50% is a huge uplift, and it\u2019s positive news. For instance in Sheffield and Doncaster where you\u2019ll have 10-15 officers, of which two or three will have a Taser, you\u2019re now looking at seven, eight, nine and that\u2019s a huge difference.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s better for the public because they don\u2019t have to essentially wait for more specialised officers to come. I think the public generally support Taser.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe visual deterrent of it for officers out on the beat as well, it\u2019s a big yellow device, people can see it, I think it\u2019s a positive thing for both officers and the public.<\/p>\n
\u201cUltimately, it\u2019s in everyone\u2019s 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?<\/p>\n
\u201cWould 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?<\/p>\n
\u201cTraining for Taser as well is of an extremely high standard. I\u2019ve been through the Taser training myself for several years, so it really does keep the officer\u2019s feet on the ground in terms of responsible use.\u201d<\/p>\n
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