Essex Police to see uplift in officers carrying Taser following cash boost

11 March 2020

More Essex Police officers will have Taser as part of their kit after the Home Office released a £10m fighting fund to get more rolled out across England and Wales.

Another 148 Tasers will be arriving at Essex Police HQ, and Essex Police Federation says the Tasers will be distributed to specific officers in specific teams.

Not every officer who wants one will be able to get Taser as part of their PPE just yet, but it does improve the chance of a Taser trained officer being nearby to deal with incidents, the Federation said.

Chairman Steve Taylor said; “Getting extra Tasers is good news and it allows us to increase the availability of Taser not only for officers on the frontline and the part it plays in helping to keep them as safe as we can but also our communities.

“The legitimate use of force surrounding Taser in Essex is extraordinary and should be commended. 85% of the time we use it involves just getting it out of its holder and showing the thing off rather than discharging it. I think that’s powerful stuff.

“It’s a fantastic piece of kit, and we welcome the central funding to make these new devices possible.

“We’re going to have to budget for the maintenance and the retraining costs, which are not insignificant. But as I say, it’s a problem we’d rather have rather than not have it in the first place.

“It’s still a controlled roll-out to specific officers on particular teams. It’s not yet available to everyone that wants one, and it’s not yet PPE,” he added.

However, Steve hopes the new provision will herald Taser being available to every officer who requests one.

“It a step towards more devices for officers, so we’re moving in the right direction, and we welcome their purchase,” he said.