18/01/2013

Met To Spend Over £800,000 On Taser Rollout

Over £800,000 is being spent equipping Met police response vehicles with Tasers, despite growing concerns over their use.

The total budget for the weapons is £817,864 for the first stage of the rollout in the capitols 32 boroughs.

The figure was came to light following a question to the mayor's office for policing and crime by Jenny Jones, assembly member for the Greens.

Previously the stun guns were only used by specialist firearms officers and TSG officers, but Met commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe has now said he wants to see the stun guns in everyday use by response cars.

"Last October police in Lancashire Tasered a 61-year-old blind man after mistaking his white stick for a samurai sword," Jenny Jones said in the Guardian.

"That case, along with many others, shows the problems of the widespread adoption of Tasers. I fear the rollout will increase the risk of mistakes happening in London, making people less safe.

"The Metropolitan Police Authority put real restraints on the police use of Tasers as it recognised the danger of every officer being armed in that way.

"Sadly … Hogan-Howe and the Mayor's office for policing and crime have made clear their intention to expand their use."

It is understood that the Met will increase the number of Tasers from 800 to more than 6,500.

(H)

Related UK National News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

16 June 2011
Met Office Team To Maximise Wind Energy
Met Office experts will be presenting new ways to maximise wind farm investment at wind energy conferences in Scotland this week in light of the volatility of wind resource over the last year. Weather patterns, and crucially wind speeds, underpin the success for this type renewable energy.
24 November 2008
Minister Unveils Police Taser Plans
Police officers across England and Wales could soon be armed with Taser stun guns, under new plans. Home Secretary Jacqui Smith announced that front-line staff in all 43 forces will be trained to use the weapons, which are currently only used by small units of firearms officers.
20 October 2004
Police authorities lobby MPs over 'funding shortfall'
Police authorities across England and Wales are on the campaign trail following concerns that a projected £350 million funding shortfall will seriously impact on services.
12 May 2011
Met Office Help Maximise Wind Farm Investment
Met Office experts will be presenting new ways to maximise wind farm investment at the Wind Energy Business Forum in London this week.
14 April 2011
British Man Dies In Dubai Police Custody
A British man has died in police custody in Dubai. Lee Bradley Brown, 39, from east London, died on Tuesday after he was taken to a Dubai police station where he was allegedly assaulted and put into a cell. It has been reported that Mr Brown, was arrested over a row at the luxury hotel Burj Al Arab hotel.