Recently released Home Office statistics outlining the use of Taser across all forces, show that in Staffordshire, its use as a deterrent has increased but discharge rates have declined.
Across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, police use of Taser is scrutinised by Independent Panels in order to provide openness and transparency.
Members of the Safer Neighbourhood Panels have received training on how and why Taser is used by police officers. This enables them to examine records of local Taser use, including footage recorded on police body worn video, to make sure it is being used appropriately.
The scrutiny follows a comprehensive examination of the way police use Taser in Staffordshire by the over-arching, county-wide independent Ethics, Transparency and Audit Panel (ETAP). This resulted in nine clear recommendations from ETAP to improve the recording of Taser use and provide more rigorous checks.
The Safer Neighbourhood Panels were launched by Staffordshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Matthew Ellis, to shine the spotlight on local policing and make Staffordshire’s police service the most open and transparent in the UK.
The panels examine, challenge and influence the work of police at a local level and hold Local Policing Team commanders to account, as well as looking at wider criminal justice and community safety issues in their area.
Mr Ellis said:
‘The latest Home Office statistics show that the use of Taser in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent has primarily been as a deterrent and I am pleased to see that the number of times a Taser has been discharged in the last year has decreased.
‘The reports provided by Safer Neighbourhood Panels demonstrate their importance and my aim continues to be to make policing in Staffordshire the most open and transparent in the country.
‘Public confidence in policing is a priority and this extra layer of scrutiny from Safer Neighbourhood Panels ensures transparency at the most local level.’
