Police officers in the United Kingdom will be issued new tasters that are touted to be more accurate and fire darts with twice the force and speed of previous models to ensure they stick into their targets.
There have been various instances in the United Kingdom where an officer has deployed a taser on a suspect with little or no effect, in some cases even when the shot impacts directly with the target.
the Home Secretary, Priti Patel, has approved the use of the Taser 7, an upgraded model of the weapon that will enable police to use it more effectively on suspects at close range as well as at distances of up to 22 ft.
Axon, the US company behind it the new taser, say the Taser 7 is faster, more accurate, and with “stronger connections” when the electrically charged darts hit a suspect. They are also better at penetrating clothing with less chance of ricochets.
The approval follows Home Office safety tests on Taser 7s and a £10 million Government cash injection to fund a trebling in the number of frontline police officers trained in their use, from the current 20 per cent level.
The news comes as growing controversy over tasers from the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) called in May for greater scrutiny of their use.
Secretary of State for the Home Department
Ms Patel said: “It is sickening that our brave police officers face assaults and attacks as they work tirelessly to keep us all safe. They are our protectors and I will do everything in my power to give them what they need to keep themselves and the public safe.
“This new taser model will provide a safe and effective tool for apprehending criminals.”
“The taser is an important tactical option for police in potentially dangerous situations.”
Tasers fire two wires with probes on the end at 180 feet per second which embed in a person’s body. Each trigger pull releases in a five-second burst of electricity that is in theory supposed to incapacitates the suspect.
According to Axon their Taser 7 provides a wider spread of two darts on impact at close range, which means the charge is more widely spread and so in practice safer to deploy and more powerful.
A close-range dart cartridge can be used between 4ft and 11ft, unlike previous models where the officer had to fire further away.
A second long-range cartridge can be used between 11ft and 22ft with the company saying it is fired “double the kinetic energy” of previous versions. It also has a green laser which works in daylight better than the previous “red spot.”
Police deployed tasers a record 23,000 times last year in face of increasingly violent suspects, double the number just two years ago, Home Office figures show.
However not everyone is happy with the change, Rosalind Comyn, of campaign group Liberty, said: “Tasers can kill and they are disproportionately used against people of colour.
“Rather than continuing to promote more aggressive and dangerous police tactics, the Government should focus on tackling police racism and finding solutions that actually keep our communities safe.”
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Editor-in-Chief | Carl D. Pearson has been involved in British politics and media from an early age, with the key knowledge of what it takes to run a news organisation for the 21st century. Mr Pearson, as Editor-in-chief, is responsible for supervising the daily tasks of publishing media and content to UNN’s website and various platforms.
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