Pros of Taser outweigh the cons, says chairman

THE pros of Taser far outweigh the cons and it remains a vital piece of personal protective equipment for police officers.

Essex Police Federation Chairman Mark Smith said Taser has become an effective deterrent and the number of times it is discharges is decreasing.

He said: “It’s a piece of personal protective equipment that is vitally important to, not only the officers, but to the public. It’s less than lethal.”

He added: “Nothing that we are issued with is non-lethal, whether it be our batons that are made of metal, or whether it be our CS gas, or whether it be Taser, none of them are non-lethal. It’s a piece of personal protective equipment that is vital for us, and the pros far out way the cons of its use.

“Just its presence sometimes, not even drawn out of the holster, just its presence is enough to stop people, if it goes further than that the red dot being put on someone certainly tends to stop them. Although the issue of Taser has gone up in the country over the last year, the actual discharge of Taser has gone down, and I think it’s a vital piece of equipment.”

Mr Smith (pictured) cited the example of Muhiddin Mire, who last month was jailed for life for carrying out a knife attack at Leytonstone Underground station in east London last year, as a reason why Taser is a vital piece of equipment for officers.

He said: “If we look at the incident at the Underground station, where the Metropolitan Police dealt with a man with a knife, what could have happened if they hadn’t been armed with Taser? How many more people could have got injured, including police officers?”