1st use of baton round firing in South Wales

[jamma111]

I'm only aware of one previous use of baton guns being fired on the British mainland (outside Northern Ireland) and that was in March 2002 in North Wales, against a man who was threatening to kill his two young children. The decision was taken at a senior level to deploy the baton gun as an alternative to shooting him with a normal gun First 'rubber bullets' used on the mainland

In the latest case, in West Cross, Swansea on Sunday 23rd October a male victim of domestic violence was first shot with a baton round in the leg and then tasered 'Victim' Tasered by police

Naturally the victim had to be taken to hospital - having been shot, probably at close quarters with a baton round and then electrocuted, and possibly from any injuries from the domestic violence. He was arrested for a public order offense, and a female at the property was arrested for assault.

The incident raises a number of questions, not including why South Wales Police would shoot and taser a victim of crime.

• Does this mean South Wales Police carry baton guns as a matter-of-course?

• Has the threshold for their use lowered, so they can be fired without the need for a senior officers consent, or without any requirement to identify the target (in this case a victim-of-crime)?

I like the thought of having an unarmed British police force. I'm not so sure I fancy seeing them armed with baton guns though, and I don't like the idea that its ok to shoot victims of crime and Taser them immediately afterwards.

Actually I've found more uses of the combination of baton rounds and tasers in the UK;

In 2006 Brian Loan aged 47 of County Durham died three days after being shot with a Taser and a baton round.

A Home Office post-mortem reportedly found that he had died of natural causes.

In 2008 a man in Plymouth was Tasered and shot with a baton-round in Plymouth.

Justin Petty died in Bedford in 2008 after being Tasered, and then managed to injure himself with a knife after being electrocuted.

I live in Canada and here the Police are freer with the tasers. Don't let this happen. Saddest story I have ever come across.

Shit, really? Very scary indeed.

I hate ruddy tasers - when they were introduced there were all these claims that they'd only be used as an alternative to firearms, now they seem to be unleashed at every opportunity - on mentally ill people who need to be sectioned, by police seeking entry to Dale Farm (NOT against anyone offering resistance, watch the footage)... just whenever a copper wants to get someone out of the way. The Canadian story is terrible, but not surprising.