Commenting on the latest national Taser figures issued today, Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Ellis said the rigorous examination of Taser use in Staffordshire is about improving public confidence in policing.
Figures produced by the Home Office show that Taser use in Staffordshire fell by over a third in 2014 with the proportion of actual Taser discharges remaining low.
Mr Ellis said: “These latest figures show a reduction in the use of Taser, both in terms of actually discharging a Taser and using them as a threat deterrent.
“I commissioned the independent Ethics Transparency and Audit Panel (ETAP) to undertake a comprehensive examination of the way police use Taser in Staffordshire. That excellent work resulted in nine clear recommendations from the Panel in order to improve the recording of Taser use and provide more rigorous check and balances which I hoped would ultimately improve public confidence in the way police go about their business.
“These Home Office figures are interesting, but we must remember there was evidence to suggest that simply the threat of using a Taser in Staffordshire (which is designated by Home Office counting as ‘use’) actually avoided further escalation to a more violent situation. With that in mind I will be asking ETAP to include in their forward work programme further examination of this issue including what sits behind the recent Home Office figures.
“I established ETAP 20 months to make sure independent, trained members of the public in Staffordshire could examine serious issues like Taser and Stop and Search which lie at the very heart of policing powers and therefore are critical to confidence in policing.
“That confidence in policing remains a top priority and will continue to be a major focus for my work going forward.”
For more details on the ETAP, and to read its Taser report in full, visit http://www.staffordshire-pcc.gov.uk/eta
