South Australian police to trial taser stun guns

[Wayno]

http://www.ministers.sa.gov.au/news.php?id=3219

South Australian police to trial taser stun guns
June 1, 2008
Minister for Police Paul Holloway today welcomed the decision by South Australian Commissioner of Police Mal Hyde to trial the use by frontline officers of Taser stun guns.

Use of electric stun guns in South Australia by police has previously been limited to the STAR Group.

“In the past decade, Australian police have largely limited their use of Tasers to highly trained elite response officers and South Australia has been no different,” Mr Holloway says.

“Now the Commissioner of Police has chosen to trial the use of these Taser devices beyond the STAR Group, and the State Government fully supports his decision.”

Mr Holloway says it is appropriate that police officers working to protect the community against violent thugs be provided with an opportunity to take part in a trial of this technology.

The deployment of the Taser devices provides a further option for police that may, in some circumstances, avoid the need to resort to lethal force.

“This device is a less-than-lethal option which can be used by police to subdue dangerous offenders and resolve volatile situations, making the streets safer for South Australian families,” Mr Holloway says.

“The decision to issue frontline officers with Taser devices is clearly an operational matter and is best made by senior and experienced police officers, not by politicians.”

The trial of Tasers - which deliver a painful electric shock to the body, causing muscle spasms and temporary paralysis - will provide sufficient information for police to fully assess and analyse the risks and benefits.

“It is important police establish that the equipment on trial is the most effective, while continuing to ensure the safety of both police and members of the public,” Mr Holloway says.

The State Government hopes this trial will reduce the number of assaults on police in South Australia.

In protecting our community, police officers often have to defend themselves against violent offenders. In the past 10 months, more than 860 assaults on police officers have occurred across the State.

The prevalence of illegal drugs mean police officers need a wide range of options available to enable them to subdue violent offenders.

This Government has committed massive additional resources to policing since being elected in 2002, Mr Holloway says.

In South Australia, the Government now spends $303 per person on policing compared to $262 in 2001/02 and this figure will continue to grow, he says.

[Bulldozer]

I hope that Tasers will be treated in the same manner as firearms in that if they are used then an investigation must be conducted. They're not non-lethal weapons, they're less-lethal - as we saw in a few well publicised cases overseas last year they can be deadly to seemingly healthy people. The danger without treating them in the same manner as firearms is that police start using them in unnecessary situations, as you can see in many YouTube videos.

I actually wonder why we can't be like the UK and leave the use of firearms by police to special units like STAR Force. How many times each year are guns used by officers, and of those occasions could they have waited for STAR Force to arrive and deal with the situation?

I'm not sticking up for the crims here, I just don't like seeing people walking around in public with guns. They also weigh a fair bit too, so I'd imagine the backs of coppers on foot patrol or giving chase wouldn't mind not having to carry them as well I'd be all for officers giving up guns for Tasers, provided the Tasers are treated the same as guns.