Police defend increase in Taser firings
POLICE chiefs have defended figures which show an increase in Taser weapon use by officers.
Durham Police has seen the number of uses of the high-voltage weapon rise from four in 2008-09 to 30 in 2010-11.
But police chiefs say the figure relates to the weapon being deployed to more officers last year and the Taser being used a number of times in a single incident last year near Durham City when a man barricaded himself in his home and attacked officers with a Samurai sword.
There were seven uses from 2007-08 and 13 in 2009-10.
Police say they do not accept Durham as having a higher than average Taser deployment.
A spokeswoman said Home Office figures covering a period between April 2004 and March 2010 show the force has having the 20th lowest usage out of 43 forces for Taser discharges.
She said the force was also the lowest of all the North-East forces apart from North Yorkshire.
Durham Police’s Acting Chief Constable Michael Banks said: “Initially the use of Tasers was limited to authorised firearms officers.
“But in 2010 Durham Constabulary followed the policy taken by many forces and extended their deployment to its road policing officers.
“Our officers are given specific training in the use of Tasers, to ensure that deployment is appropriate and proportionate under the circumstances and that it complies with national policy.”
Home Office figures show Cleveland Police officers fired Tasers six times from April to December in 2009 and once from January to March in 2010.
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Tuesday 22 May 2012
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