Tasers are now back in fashion. These electronic dart-firing stun-gun devices are being promoted as a means of protecting police officers in the course of dealing with dangerous and potentially violent subjects. In many jurisdictions in the US, Tasers are also available for use by civilians for self-protection, with no requirement for background checks at the time of purchase.
This year, the campaign to widen the use of Tasers in the UK has finally taken off. In August 2019, Northamptonshire Police announced that it would arm all front line officers with Tasers, thereby becoming the first police force in the UK to do so. On September 2, 2019, veteran broadcaster Nick Ferrari announced the launch of the “Time for Tasers” campaign on his LBC Radio breakfast show. On the same day, he sent out a letter to the Home Secretary, which was signed by the Chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales, two current and two past Chief Constables, seven Police and Crime Commissioners, and a former Metropolitan Police Commissioner. The letter contained a request for guaranteed funding for Tasers for all police officers wishing to use the devices. Ferrari had recently visited New York City and New Jersey to witness at first hand the use of Tasers by local police forces.
Tasers were first introduced to the UK in 2003, to be used solely by firearms officers. In September 2007, the Home Office announced a twelve-month field trial of the use of Tasers by non-firearms officers in ten constabularies. At the end of the trial, in 2008, it was announced that the use of Tasers would be extended to all front line officers in England and Wales. The original M26 Taser was soon followed by the X26 model. From 2017 the newer X2 model has replaced earlier versions, and in the UK comes with an advanced battery option that cuts power to the device after five seconds. The X2 has a maximum firing range of 25 feet.
So what then is a Taser? A Taser is a brand name for a form of Conductive Energy Device, which temporarily incapacitates a suspect through the delivery of a 50,000-volt electric shock. The hand-held device resembles a pistol. The shock can either be delivered from a distance, using a red dot laser sight to direct the current, or by direct contact with the suspect’s skin (stun or probe mode). When used from a distance, two long live copper wires topped by small barbed darts are launched and propelled by compressed nitrogen cartridges attached to a cartridge bay at the front of the device. The barbs are designed to penetrate no deeper than 4 mm.
Taser is an acronym for Thomas A. Swift Electric Rifle. The inventor, Jack Carver, an aerospace engineer, named it after an adventure novel from his childhood, Tom Swift And His Electric Rifle (1911). The device was developed by Taser International in Scottsdale, Arizona, which is now known as Axon Enterprises, Inc.
When fired, the barbs attach to skin or clothing and deliver a short-duration high-voltage shock that causes excruciating pain. The subject is temporarily immobilised as the muscles go into a state of intense spasm, also known as tetanic contractions, and frequently falls to the ground. The embedded barbs can usually be removed from the skin by a sharp tug, but rarely have to be extracted by making an incision after the injection of local anaesthetic.
There appears to be growing support within the British police forces for the wider availability of the Taser for front line use. As with any such device, various individuals and groups have raised several objections, starting with concerns about human rights violations. Other objections include the risk of disproportionate use in mentally ill or intoxicated people and in those belonging to black and minority ethnic groups.
There are also concerns about the safety of Tasers, especially the risk of cardiac arrest caused by ventricular fibrillation. An Amnesty International report in 2018 indicated that eighteen people had been killed in the UK by Tasers since their introduction. In many of the deaths related to Tasers in the UK and US, a direct link to the use of Tasers has not been conclusively proven and other factors such as drug intoxication and heart disease have been identified as the cause of death.
In the UK, at present, police officers are required to undergo three days of training before being allowed to use Tasers. Thereafter their skills have to be updated by attending an annual refresher day. Some people feel this may not be enough and contrast this short training period with the much longer and more intensive training required by firearms officers.
There are no easy answers when it comes to discussing crime prevention or law enforcement, and it is easy to debate the various options while being far removed from the action. There is much contradictory information about Taser use, which adds to the complexity of the debate. Many reports suggest that Tasers are effective deterrents, and most often are used but actually not discharged. It appears that the mere placement of a Taser red dot on the suspect, which counts as “use,” acts as an immediate deterrent. On the other hand, a Cambridge University study of 5,891 Taser incidents recorded by the City of London Police in 2016-17 suggested that sight of a Taser might actually trigger further aggressive behaviour through the “weapons effect.”
It would seem, however, that front line police need to be provided with a variety of options when dealing with dangerous criminals, and the Taser is one of these. Appropriate training in the use of Tasers is the key to safer use, along with in-built product safeguards to enhance safety. In any case, the Taser does not have to be deployed most of the time, as the very sight of one appears to act as a deterrent.
Ashis Banerjee (have treated Taser victims, starting February 2010)