Taser unused 77% of the times it was drawn

TASER was drawn 207 times in Essex last year – but was only used on 23% of those occasions.

New statistics from the Home Office show that Taser remains unused 77% of the time in Essex, compared to a national figure of 83%.

Essex Police Federation Chairman Steve Taylor said the statistics were a testament to his members’ common sense and professionalism.

He said: “This demonstrates that Taser is being used and presented in the correct way, as a deterrent that negates it having to be fired – which is a testament to the officers using it, to their common sense, their professionalism and a testament to the piece of kit it is.

“Taser is an option that allows officers to break the chain of events and to deter people from courses of action or conduct which lead to people getting hurt.

“In an ideal world I would love to see Taser being a part of every officer’s protective equipment in the same way a baton, CS or holding restraints are. I would like to see it on the hip of every officer, because of that deterrent effect.

“In these times of safer crewing, or single crewing as it is in practice, with pieces of equipment available to help keep officers safe, there’s a positive duty, in my view, on the Chief Officer, on the force, to provide that equipment, and I’d like to see it on the belt of every officer that wishes to use it in a personal protective capacity.”

The Federation is yet to hear from the force about how many X2 Tasers it will procure. The new model has made the X26 obsolete.