Police to get Taser guns.

[VictorianSqualor]

Story here
What do you think?
Wrong or right?

[[
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taser
Taser International claims that Tasers are safe, but critics disagree, citing the number of deaths occurring after Taser use. Amnesty International has documented over 245 deaths that occurred after the use of Tasers, although not one of these deaths have been attributed to electrocution.[citation needed] Amnesty International Canada and other civil liberties organizations have argued that a moratorium should be placed on Taser use until research can determine a way for them to be safely used.[27] ]]

Taser International claims that Tasers are safe, but critics disagree, citing the number of deaths occurring after Taser use. Amnesty International has documented over 245 deaths that occurred after the use of Tasers, although not one of these deaths have been attributed to electrocution. Amnesty International Canada and other civil liberties organizations have argued that a moratorium should be placed on Taser use until research can determine a way for them to be safely used.

Great, let's give 'em to the riot police, now they can taser peaceful demonstrators as well as beating them up or unlawfully detaining them.

Yes - because that happens all the time in the UK

Unlawful detention does happen an awful lot - they held a coach full of respectable OAPs up for several hours and turned them round and made them go back down the motorway (wouldn't let them get off to go to the loo) in Kent not that long ago. Remember all those people penned into Oxford Circus over environmental protests? Just a couple off the top of my head.

I've seen policemen snigger about mistreating innocent peaceful demonstrators. And they let those Chinese 'bodyguards' (paramilitaries) assault demonstrators around the Olympic torch while harassing our demonstrators.

Forgive me for not trusting people with those attitudes with tasers. If they are issued, they will be used much more widely than was originally stated. Give officials powers and they exploit them - look at councils and the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act, sold to parliament as anti-terrorist legislation and now used to spy on parents applying for school places.

ooh, i'm a bit later to this but we had a copper round on tue night (to take statements) and he said that (obv iho) that it wouldnt really happen, that it would be like previous issues that headlines would come down to each force policy and thames valley (our police) would end up with tassers in storage used only by the armed response unit (who aleady have 'real' guns) as he didnt think the officers would be trusted enough and they would need authorisation from someone high up

hope he's right, littleducks.

"Yes - because that happens all the time in the UK "

Well it certainly does happen. I've seen police whacking perfectly docile tuition fees/ anti war type (ie quite mainstream protesters), sticking them in vans. Or surrounding them and then charging. It does happen, but it is seldom reported.

The problem is that the police do not seem to have a good attitude towards, even peaceful, even quite obviously harmless (edams OAP's!) civil protest. They don't seem to see it as a good thing. Whereas I see it as a necessary part of democracy.

Don't know about that littleducks, DP works for Thames Valley and thinks different.

oooh that is interesting VS, copper also said tv have pulled out of 'Road Wars' (am a bit of a secret fan as i recognise places) as it doesnt make them appear professional enough, which i was about did it seriously take them that long to realise that???

i did aleways think the camera crew in the back of an undercover car was a bit of a give away, but dh said i mustnt let dd wave!

I know that one of DP's tutors was telling them that everything was done wrong on road wars. Even DP has watched it and said 'What?? Why are they doing that??'
They have just been filming a doc with Nick Ross though that will be more across the board than just the 'proactive' team.

but tbh we rarely see police here, but have tonnes of community support officers here, now i would really be up in arms if they had tasers as our local one seems to think she is Nancy Drew,

i was going to ask our copper if he would prefer a personal/team secretary to be employed to do his paperwork etc than all these cso's but bottled it, could you ask your dh?

I am aPolice Officer and would not feel at all comfortable about carrying a taser. I would be unlikely to have one as i am plain clothes any way.
I ns ome ways I would feel more vulnerable as it ' ups the anti' so to speak.

I don't think the paperwork really bothers DP tbh, a lot of it is done as you do the work so it's not like he gets back to the station and has to do loads unless he has a lot of statements to write up, and the CPOs do do a good job, so he'd probably say no, he'd prefer the CPOs to be doing the little jobs around the community (like dispersing youths and the like) so he can get on with his job.