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Britain
UK police used Tasers on children more than 80 times in 6 years
2012-12-25
According to the Home Office statistics, officers threatened children with Tasers on 144 occasions in 2010 - compared with 21 times in 2007.
Were these great, hulking eighteen-year old yobs on rampages, or dear little kindergartners just learning to lisp their ABCs? Because I have no problem if the police work to get the attention of the yobs.
They actually fired the weapons during one in five incidents, though on most occasions the youngsters were just targeted with a red laser dot from the gun.

Amnesty International, the human rights group, called for the use of Tasers on children and vulnerable people to be "avoided in all circumstances", over fears they can trigger health problems.

However, Lord Taylor of Holbeach, a Home Office minister, said the guns are only used in violent situations, as he revealed the new figures to Baroness Stern, a crossbench peer, in answer to a question in the House of Lords.

"Taser is only deployed where there is a serious threat of violence and by officers who have been carefully selected and trained in its use," he said.

Police have access to around 12,000 Tasers but there were calls for their use to be greatly extended as officers struggled to cope during the riots of 2011.

Paul Davis, responsible for firearms policy on the Police Federation, said that "most if not all frontline officers" should be given access to Tasers, which he described as "less lethal" devices.
Posted by:lotp

#4  the problem is with people who are wildly emotional. maybe because of personal problems, or because of drugs. i just heard about an incident where CHP officers in CA used a taser 8 times on a women - because she was out of control. but every time she was hit with the taser, she just fought back harder. some people will do that. so you wind up getting an escalation. in the story here, the woman's heart stopped beating after the #8 taser shot and the officers had to revive her. she lived.

the issue of non-lethal weapons is a very tough problem for the police. there is no perfect weapon out there that gets the job done.
Posted by: Raider   2012-12-25 13:21  

#3  Issue out some of those old Webley's. A .455 round or two should gain their immediate and undivided attention. Bringing that pistol grip lanyard ring squarely down on the back of a head is also an attention getter.
Posted by: Besoeker   2012-12-25 04:36  

#2  Do they twitch and drool more, or less?
Posted by: Skidmark   2012-12-25 01:04  

#1  Ah, but no guns.
Kinda tepid "Yoots"? Hmmm.
Posted by: Redneck Jim   2012-12-25 00:22  

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