Commenting on a national report about the use of Tasers on under-18s, Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Ellis said the approach to Taser in Staffordshire is the most rigorous in the country.
“It is part of my job to ensure the police act appropriately in the way Taser is used in Staffordshire,” he said.
“That’s why six months ago I asked the independent Ethics, Transparency and Audit Panel (ETAP) to conduct a thorough review of Taser use after a report by the Independent Police and Complaints Commission (IPCC) showed that Staffordshire appeared to have the highest use in the country in 2013.”
The BBC report today highlighted the number of Taser incidents involving children and saw Ex-Home Secretary David Blunkett, who introduced Tasers, call for a national review.
Mr Ellis continued: “The figures used by the BBC said that there were 538 ‘uses’ of Taser in Staffordshire in 2013 whereas the ETAP review showed the true figure was 619.
“I asked the ETAP to get beneath the statistics in order to understand the context behind them and to differentiate between Taser use as a deterrent without discharge and actual discharge of Tasers. The upshot of the review was that Taser discharge rate in Staffordshire was significantly lower than most other places – as are the rate of complaints from the public about Taser use.
“I’m satisfied that police in Staffordshire keep the discharge of Taser to a minimum and in very specific circumstances. Far from being a problem, the use of Taser as a deterrent is useful for reducing potential injuries in difficult circumstances.
“We shouldn’t be focusing on the age of the individual but on the risk that they pose to themselves or others. This was the case with a 14-year-old in Staffordshire who removed a one-metre iron bar from fittings at a hospital children’s ward and threatened police and was at risk of falling from a balcony. Police pointed the Taser red dot at him, without discharging it, and it calmed the situation down.
“As a result of the ETAP review if a Taser is ever discharged on someone who is 16 or under the case will automatically trigger a formal professional standards review.
“The review also led to important recommendations to enhance transparency further including that bodycams should be used to record Taser warnings and incidents to provide a clear unequivocal record of each use. Improvements to the procedures around recording Taser use to a central depository were also recommended meaning faster reporting.
“The work of ETAP highlights how fresh thinking can improve public confidence and accountability and means that the approach to the use of Taser in Staffordshire is the most rigorous in the country.”
For more details on the ETAP, and to read its Taser report in full, visit http://www.staffordshire-pcc.gov.uk/eta
