Northerners most likely to be zapped

Jan 6 2008 by Nigel Green, Sunday Sun

PEOPLE in parts of the North are at least five times more likely to have the controversial Taser stun gun used on them than anywhere else in the country, we can reveal.

The Sunday Sun submitted a Freedom of Information request to all 51 police forces in England, Scotland and Wales asking how often they had deployed the 50,000-volt weapon since it was introduced two years ago.

Nationwide, the total figure was 424 times . . . working out at once per 132,070 people.

Cleveland — where police fired the Taser 23 times — topped the league. With a population of 550,000, that works out at once per 23,913 people . . . five-and-a-half times the national average.

Close behind was Durham, where the weapon was also used 23 times. With a population of 600,000, that works out at once per 26,087 people . . . just over five times the national average.

Only London’s Metropolitan force, with 95, and West Midlands police, with 35, had used Tasers more . . . but both cover much larger populations of 7.5 million and 2.5 million respectively.

The North figures are even more dramatic when compared with Scotland, which has a population of just over five million people.

Over the border, Tasers had only been fired just six times in the last two years.

Durham and Cleveland forces only allow specially-trained armed response officers to use Tasers.

However, 10 other forces in the country are experimenting by issuing Tasers to all front-line officers.

Yet Northumbria — which is one of the forces taking part in the trials — has only recorded 11 Tasers being fired in two years. The force, which takes in Newcastle and Sunderland, covers a population of 1.4 million people — or nearly three times the size of Durham or Cleveland.

Likewise, officers in Cumbria — which has a population of 490,000 — have fired Tasers twice.

A Durham police spokesman said: “Only officers who crew armed response vehicles or are on other specialist duties carry Tasers. These officers are firearms trained and also carry conventional weapons.

“The Taser is an extremely useful and effective tool and is considered a valuable tactical option. On occasions when a Taser has been presented, the very sight of it has been enough to quickly secure an arrest.

“Every time one is used a report is sent both to the Association of Chief Police Officers and the Home Office outlining the circumstances of the case.

“So far, on each occasion this has happened in Durham, the decision of the officer involved has been validated.”

A Cleveland Police spokesman said: “We would need to be confident that all forces had offered figures for the exact same period of time in order for the figures to be credible and to compare like for like.

“That said, national guidelines are adhered to each and every time authority is granted to deploy Tasers.

“Strict criteria must be met before the implement is discharged.

“Immediately after a Taser discharge, a full debrief takes place to ensure these criteria have been met and that use of the implement has been entirely appropriate.

“All activity relating to Taser use is closely monitored by members of the force executive.”

Page 2: Concern at death toll