Taser use by Essex Police officers is rising

TASER use has increased in Essex Police by 52 per cent.

There were 152 uses in 2013, compared with 100 in the previous year. Across England and Wales Taser use had increased by just 27 per cent.

Mark Smith, chairman of Essex Police Federation, said: “I would like more Tasers out there because I think it is a very good tool to stop officers being injured.”

From the first six months in January 2012 – where Taser was used 3,871 times – its use has increased within each six month period up to July 2013 to December 2013, where it was used 5,381 times.

Mr Smith added: “I am very aware of the cuts we are receiving and that it costs money to put more in place and I know the force do monitor the use of Taser but also officers requesting and receiving back up by Taser.

“I don’t believe there have been problems of people requesting back up by Taser and not getting it. If there are problems, then officers need to be logging that with the force.”

The most common use of a Taser in each of the last two years was ‘red dot’, where officers use the laser on the device but do not actually fire it. This accounted for more than half, 51 per cent of use.

Officers can now also take part in a survey on Taser being hosted by the Police Federation of England and Wales.

The survey asks where an officer works, are they single crewed and how many times in the last two years have they felt that their life was in serious danger as a result of a threat by a member of the public, whilst on duty?

It also asks “assuming appropriate training is available, should Conducted Energy Devices (Taser) be issued only to authorised firearms officers, to a further increased number of specially trained officers, or to a wider group of front-line officers?”

It also asks for the experiences of officers who already use Taser.

You can take part in the survey here

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PFEWtasersurvey2014

Doug Campbell, who sits on the Police Federation of England and Wales’s operational policing subcommittee, said: “We ask would our members want to see a further roll out of Taser to more police officers? Do our members think Taser is a useful addition to their equipment? We are asking a series of questions aimed at giving them the opportunity to have a say in Federation policy on this issue.”