Tasers for police gets public support

A Police Federation survey has found that 71 per cent of the public support the wider rollout of Tasers to police officers in England and Wales. Tasers were introduced by UK police forces in 2003, following trials in some force areas, but at present, one in six police officers, which is approximately 20,000 officers, are allowed to use Tasers, but the federation argues they should be available to all who want one. The poll of 2,004 people, carried out by Ipsos MORI, suggests that 71 per cent of people think it is acceptable for officers on patrol to carry the weapon, but of those surveyed, four out of five people claimed that if an officer was carrying a Taser, it would make no difference to their likelihood of approaching them for assistance. Since 2004, at least 19 people in England and Wales have died after police deployed the weapon, and, more recently, the Home Affairs Select Committee criticised police forces for a ‘complete lack on consistency’ over whether officers armed with Tasers were also deployed with body cameras. Steve White, chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW), said: “We know officers support the use of Taser and Body Worn Video, and now we have the evidence that shows the public do as well. “I wrote to all chief constables and commissioners across England and Wales, outlining the survey results and asking them to support a wider roll-out of Taser and call for increased government funding to assist with this.”