Lewes MP Norman Baker challenged the government on the floor of the Commons today to demand greater controls on the use of controversial tasers, the weapons that emit a 50,000 volt shock and which are increasingly used by police forces, including in Sussex.
Mr Baker raised the issue after the Chief Constable of Sussex Police revealed that his force has been given authorisation to use taser guns on 154 occasions since 2007/08, with the guns having been deployed on 79 occasions in that time.
In a letter to Mr Baker, the Chief Constable gave several examples of cases when a taser has been used by Sussex Police. These include occasions such as in August 2008, when a taser was deployed on a 46 year old man who was in possession of a knife, and in April 2009, when one of the weapons was deployed on a 38 year old man in Brighton who had been self harming.
During oral questions this afternoon, Mr Baker pointed out that tasers have been linked to over 300 deaths in the United States, and urged the government to implement greater controls on the use of the controversial devices.
Specifically, Mr Baker asked the government to consider restricting the use of tasers to those officers who are trained and authorised to use firearms, and to guarantee that they will not be used on children. The Minister admitted to Mr Baker that tasers had already been used on children on 21 occasions.
Lib Dem Norman Baker also pointed out that the use of tasers varies widely between police forces, and called for there to be greater consistency in the way they are used. For example, West Yorkshire police have used tasers on 345 occasions since 2004, but the neighbouring South Yorkshire force has used them just 24 times in that time.
In a complacent response, Home Office Minister David Hanson stated that sufficient guidance exists for the use of tasers, and that the government has received no evidence to suggest that tasers have been responsible for any serious injuries in the UK.
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