The independent group established by Matthew Ellis, Staffordshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), to strengthen public scrutiny of policing has this week reported its findings on how and when Taser is used across Staffordshire.
The Ethics, Transparency and Audit (ETA) Panel was launched under the ‘New Dawn of Transparency’ agenda by Mr Ellis and aims for policing in Staffordshire to be the most open and transparent in the country.
The eight members of the public who sit on the ETA meet regularly to monitor the work of police including how crime is recorded and how complaints from the public are dealt with.
The Commissioner asked the Panel 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 Taser use in the country in 2013.
The review showed that, while Staffordshire officers used their Tasers without firing as a deterrent more frequently than in other forces, Taser was only discharged 11 per cent (71 out of 619 ‘uses’) of the time. That discharge is one of the lowest rates in the country.
Mr Ellis said: “I asked the ETA to get beneath the statistics in order to understand the context behind them. Above all it’s part of my job to ensure the police act appropriately in the way Taser is being used in Staffordshire.
“The review from the ETA Panel did just that and provided fresh perspective and more detail than the IPCC’s report which did not differentiate between Taser use as a deterrent without discharge and actual discharge of Tasers. Unfortunately it meant the IPCC report allowed for a misleading picture of Taser use in Staffordshire to be portrayed.
“I’m satisfied that police in Staffordshire keep the discharge of Taser to a minimum and in very specific circumstances. As with the bodycams, the use of Taser as a deterrent actually reduces potential violence often stopping trouble before it starts. The upshot is that Taser discharge rate in Staffordshire is significantly lower than most other places – as is the rate of complaints from the public about Taser use. This is a distinctly different picture to that painted in the IPCC report.
“I have held Staffordshire Police to account publicly before where there have been issues to address but in the case of Taser use my view is that far from being a problem as suggested by the IPCC the use as a deterrent is useful for reducing potential injuries in difficult circumstances.
“As part of the ETA work I also widened it to looking at other aspects of Taser procedures and that led to important recommendations to enhance transparency further including that the new 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 have also been recommended meaning faster reporting.
“Providing the ETA with wide-ranging and rigorous powers to examine such crucial areas of policing means police accountability is stronger than ever before and highlights how fresh thinking can improve public confidence and accountability. I’m grateful to the Panel for this urgent piece of work and will be asking the ETA to undertake further specific reviews as and when their planned work programme allows.”
Staffordshire Police Chief Constable Jane Sawyers said: “I welcome this report from the ETA on our use of Taser. All officers must be able to justify their use of force as being appropriate and proportionate, and the use of force including Taser is regularly reviewed. As the report highlights, Taser is often used as a visible deterrent to prevent violence escalating, in the vast majority of these cases the Taser is not discharged. The discharge of a Taser is a last resort for officers facing situations when people are threatening to cause real harm to members of the public, the officers or themselves. I hope the public in Staffordshire are reassured by these findings.”
The ETA report can be read in full at http://www.staffordshire-pcc.gov.uk/eta
