Calls for inquiry as police force introduces stun gun

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Hermangotshisguns
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Calls for inquiry as police force introduces stun gun

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http://www.yorkshiretoday.co.uk/ViewArt ... ID=1195864

Calls for inquiry as police force introduces stun gun
Taser weapon 'has the capacity to kill', according to human rights group
Paul Jeeves
AMNESTY International has reiterated calls for an independent public inquiry into the use of electric stun guns as North Yorkshire Police has become the latest force to introduce the weapon.
The taser will come into use in North Yorkshire at the start of next month to ensure dangerous and violent suspects can be detained without the use of traditional firearms.
Senior officers from North Yorkshire Police have decided to adopt the taser stun gun for their specially-trained firearms units following a two-year pilot scheme by five other forces in England and Wales.
The devices fire a 50,000-volt surge of electricity down wires which attach themselves to suspects by two prongs fired from a handheld gun.
The taser has been heralded as a less lethal option to traditional guns and pistols and has been employed by officers during operations to apprehend suspects following July's terrorist attacks in London.
The controversy surrounding the shooting of the innocent Brazilian, Jean Charles de Meneze, on the London Underground was one of the clearest indications in recent years of the problems associated with traditional firearms.
However, Amnesty International has maintained that studies in the United States, where taser guns were developed
and are now widely used by police, have raised serious concerns.
According to the human rights group, 130 people have died after being stunned by a taser in America, and in at least 15 cases coroners have stated that the devices played a part in the death.
Amnesty International has documented the alleged use of tasers against unruly schoolchildren, pregnant women – one of whom is said to have lost her baby afterwards – a 71-year old half-blind woman and a nine-year-old girl who was alleged to have already been handcuffed.
The organisation has asked for a public statement by the Home Office and senior police officers that the stun guns will only be used by specially-trained firearms units and kept locked in firearms boxes.
Amnesty is also calling for a public inquiry into the safety and regulations for the use of tasers to be carried out by medical, scientific, legal and law enforcement experts.
Amnesty International spokesman Neil Durkin said: "We do not oppose North Yorkshire Police being equipped with alternatives to firearms, but Amnesty International is simply saying that tasers have the capacity to kill and should be properly tested.
"There should be a full, independent investigation into just how lethal tasers are."
However, North Yorkshire Police is adamant that the Home Office trials have provided no conclusive proof to back up Amnesty's concerns.
The use of tasers will be restricted to the firearms support unit and will be carried as standard equipment in armed response vehicles.
Initial training has now been completed and all officers will undergo annual refresher courses. As with standard firearms, the weapons cannot be deployed without the authority of a senior officer.
Supt Martin Deacon, the force's head of tactical planning, said: "While we will always retain our full firearms capabilities, as with baton rounds, which we introduced some time ago, the taser gives us another less lethal option when dealing with dangerous individuals.
"Its track record has proved that when used in appropriate circumstances it can save lives and prevent injuries to members of the public, police officers and offenders alike.
"When firearms incidents do occur in North Yorkshire it is essential that our officers have the best equipment and training available to enable them to respond appropriately. The taser will be a welcome addition to our response."
West Yorkshire Police introduced tasers in July, and officers have so far used the stun guns at least twice.
pr.jeeves@ypn.co.uk
21 September 2005
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