Officers should have the option to carry Taser, says Kent Federation Chair

3 January 2019

Police Officers carrying Taser continues to be a heated debate as we start 2019 - including being the focus of this Kent Online article.

https://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent/news/tasers-drawn-nearly-500-times-by-police-196167/

Chairman Chris Carter responds: "The data within the Kent online article highlights how many times Taser has been part of dealing with an incident, from simply having it drawn to actual use of it.

"Regardless of the numbers being spoken about, this is the significant point that is overlooked, that it was an option that those officers had to deal with the job that society asks them to do and in many instances it didn’t actually have to be used.

"I have consistently given interviews and comment about Taser. Officers should have the option to be trained and carry a Taser if they want to. I firmly believe that the force should look to extend Taser provision as far as it can.

"Taser is ‘work place equipment’, a tool that officers should have the option of using as part of the ‘tool kit’ we give them to do the job. I believe it will help reduce the chances of assault on officers and will help bring many incidents to a calm conclusion.

"We’ve recently seen studies showing that officers with Taser are more likely to be assaulted. For me my initial reaction was that officers carrying Taser are more likely to be deployed to incidents where someone wants to take on the officers and others?

"Also by the very need for a Taser option at an incident then surely there is a greater likelihood of assault or violence offences generally?

"Even this study - by the University of Cambridge - highlights the fact that Taser, when drawn, is for the majority of the time not used and in fact acts as a deterrent which means there is far less chance of anyone getting hurt, which must surely be better for all.

"The impression I continue to get is that both officers and public alike want to see officers carrying Taser. This is the position that Kent Police Federation will continue to support.

"As a Federation we continue to engage regularly with the force senior leadership team about Taser and on what can be done about offences generally against officers.

"We already have the officer assault plan and Chief Officer Impact statements in Kent, these are submitted with the case files when officers have been assaulted.

"In 2019, I am looking forward to engaging with the force using use of force and assaults on officer data to understand how and why officers get assaulted and what can be done to reduce the number of incidents.

"I think officer safety training is part of this along with continuing to look at wider taser provision to those who want to carry it.

"There will continue to be concerns around funding and training which is why the Federation view is that central Government should be providing the resources to allow forces to do this.

"This would ensure consistency across the country. But, until we get this, forces must look to do what they can to provide more taser provision."