Brighton & Hove's citywide ban on street drinking was enforced violently yesterday in New Road, Brighton. New Road is intended by the council to operate as a shared surface so as to serve a variety of purposes. However, street drinking by the homeless on its benches is frowned upon and it is commonplace to see PCSOs harassing these members of the public, usually when they are sitting quietly.

Yesterday morning, it is reported that a violent struggle broke out between police and a street drinker that disagreed with their decision to take away his can and pour it away in front of him. Of course, the ban tends only to be enforced against the abnormal and respectable persons can happily drink away to their heart content. Apparently the outlaw managed to get one over on the Police by breaking a coppers arm, but this didn't help him very much as he was then beaten with batons, pepper-sprayed and then tasered.

So much for police claims that the taser represents an alternative to an armed response unit. In this case the weapon appears to have been used in revenge for a prior assault on an officer.

from BBC

Taser used in city centre arrest
A Taser stun gun was used by police in Brighton city centre when a drinker became violent as officers tried to arrest him.

A plain clothes officer suffered a broken wrist during the incident in New Road, Brighton, on Monday morning.

Sussex Police said the officer was assaulted when the drinker refused to dispose of his alcohol.

A spokeswoman said the stun gun was used when attempts to subdue him with baton strikes and pepper spray failed.

She added: "The man was then arrested for assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest. He received stitches to a minor wound and has been transported to custody."

A second man was arrested for a public order offence.

Between July 2007 and February 2008 Tasers have been deployed 18 times and used on for occasions by Sussex Police.