A Taser is an electronic stun gun. Technically they are classed as a 'less lethal' alternative to a normal firearm, however concern about deaths resulting from their use is growing in the US where they have also been issued to beat officers.
Merseyside Chief Constable Bernard Hogan-Howe recently announced his intention to arm all Merseyside police officers on the beat with a Taser, a 50,000 volt electronic stun gun. Until now the use of Tasers has been restricted to specially trained armed response units. In an interview with the Liverpool Daily Post Hogan-Howe signalled his intention to arm all Merseyside police officers with the controversial new weapon. He said:
"I think at the very least we need to spread the use of Tasers more widely than they are at the moment.
"To have them available to all patrolling officers would be a very good option, and at the moment would appear to be a very safe option.
"Though we have a significant number of firearms officers to respond to incidents, it would be more effective to have Tasers more widely available."
Source -
http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100regionalnews/tm_objectid=15939537%26method=full%26siteid=50061-name_page.html
WHAT IS A TASER?
A Taser is an electronic stun gun. Technically they are classed as a 'less lethal' alternative to a normal firearm, however concern about deaths resulting from their use is growing in the US where they have also been issued to beat officers.
A taser works by firing a 50,000 high voltage electrical charge in to the human body. As a 0.06 amp current is enough to kill a human the voltage is extremely high but the current is extremely low, usually around 3 milliamps. The high voltage allows the electrical charge to penetrate skin resistance and send the charge through the bodies natural neural pathways confusing and disarming the persons nervous system which in turn confuses the brain. The result is the body is subject to a brief but intensely painful paralysis followed by the triggering of random muscles, spasm, and convulsion in many areas of the body.
More on tasers - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taser
THE LESS LETHAL OPTION?
The manufacturers of the Tasers claim that use for 1/2 a second will cause intense pain and muscle contractions. While two or three seconds will result in the person becoming dazed and dropping to the ground. Over three seconds will completely disorient and drop a person for at least several minutes and possibly for up to fifteen minutes.
What they generally fail to mention is that there is increasing concern about deaths and injuries resulting from the use of tasers. The reality is that stun guns can and do kill in some circumstances, particularly by disrupting the heart muscles's natural rhythm. Also nerve damage is possible, along with electrical burns and other soft tissue damage such as the eyes.
In 2004 coroners in the US reached the conclusion that in at least five cases death was attributable to the use of tasers by the police. This has lead to calls for much more discussion and research on the use of these controversial weapons by police forces.
CBS Report on Taser Deaths - http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/04/06/eveningnews/main610561.shtml
THE SCOPE FOR ABUSE
During an anti-war protest in Pittsburgh in August 2005 video footage shows just how easily the police can abuse these weapons, using them not to prevent violence but to deliberately inflict pain on protesters. The footage shows a woman who is already lying on the ground, not threatening, not violent, who is electrocuted with a taser by a police officer in front of shocked onlookers:
http://cornersoul.com/tasers.html#taseredwhiledown
Is this what we can expect in the UK soon? While unease grows about the use of these controversial weapons, about their use in quelling dissent and protest, and while the death toll grows we have a Merseyside Chief Constable who is happy to ignore all this in his haste to turn Liverpool police in to a fully armed paramilitary force. Surely this shouldn't be allowed to go ahead unquestioned.
"I think at the very least we need to spread the use of Tasers more widely than they are at the moment.
"To have them available to all patrolling officers would be a very good option, and at the moment would appear to be a very safe option.
"Though we have a significant number of firearms officers to respond to incidents, it would be more effective to have Tasers more widely available."
Source -
http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100regionalnews/tm_objectid=15939537%26method=full%26siteid=50061-name_page.html WHAT IS A TASER?
A Taser is an electronic stun gun. Technically they are classed as a 'less lethal' alternative to a normal firearm, however concern about deaths resulting from their use is growing in the US where they have also been issued to beat officers.
A taser works by firing a 50,000 high voltage electrical charge in to the human body. As a 0.06 amp current is enough to kill a human the voltage is extremely high but the current is extremely low, usually around 3 milliamps. The high voltage allows the electrical charge to penetrate skin resistance and send the charge through the bodies natural neural pathways confusing and disarming the persons nervous system which in turn confuses the brain. The result is the body is subject to a brief but intensely painful paralysis followed by the triggering of random muscles, spasm, and convulsion in many areas of the body.
More on tasers -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taser THE LESS LETHAL OPTION?
The manufacturers of the Tasers claim that use for 1/2 a second will cause intense pain and muscle contractions. While two or three seconds will result in the person becoming dazed and dropping to the ground. Over three seconds will completely disorient and drop a person for at least several minutes and possibly for up to fifteen minutes.
What they generally fail to mention is that there is increasing concern about deaths and injuries resulting from the use of tasers. The reality is that stun guns can and do kill in some circumstances, particularly by disrupting the heart muscles's natural rhythm. Also nerve damage is possible, along with electrical burns and other soft tissue damage such as the eyes.
In 2004 coroners in the US reached the conclusion that in at least five cases death was attributable to the use of tasers by the police. This has lead to calls for much more discussion and research on the use of these controversial weapons by police forces.
CBS Report on Taser Deaths -
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/04/06/eveningnews/main610561.shtml THE SCOPE FOR ABUSE
During an anti-war protest in Pittsburgh in August 2005 video footage shows just how easily the police can abuse these weapons, using them not to prevent violence but to deliberately inflict pain on protesters. The footage shows a woman who is already lying on the ground, not threatening, not violent, who is electrocuted with a taser by a police officer in front of shocked onlookers:
http://cornersoul.com/tasers.html#taseredwhiledown Is this what we can expect in the UK soon? While unease grows about the use of these controversial weapons, about their use in quelling dissent and protest, and while the death toll grows we have a Merseyside Chief Constable who is happy to ignore all this in his haste to turn Liverpool police in to a fully armed paramilitary force. Surely this shouldn't be allowed to go ahead unquestioned.
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and it looks like they're gonna become even more widespread...
15.09.2005 14:59
despite being neither female nor in the police, he was allowed to have a nosy around. they were demonstrating tasers, and he volunteered to be 'shot'. not asked to fill out any kind of disclaimer or anything. said it felt 'weird' and that he had to be held up by 2 others to avoid falling to a convulsing heap on the floor.
i like the way that the exhibition contains tasers, 'less lethal' munitions & riot gear alongside thorntons chocolates and virgin vie cosmetics....
zoe
taser
15.09.2005 15:10
One should remember that even in the worst dictatorship (as UK citizens will soon have the privilege to testify), trigger happy police (as in hot lead) are not a good idea. Instead, the police should seek to non-fatally wound, or inflict pain or terror!
Remember, Britain has historically never been so safe or law-abiding. With this in mind, it seems fully appropriate that Blair intends to massively increase the record number of Brits in prison, and massively increase to numbers of laws that Brits can break. It also seems fully appropriate that as Britain is as non-violent as it ever has been, the police should be tooled to the max, and judged by how often they inflict violence on us.
Welcome to your future, a world of pain and fear and racism, until Blair finally has you and your children murdered in one of his endless wars! Of course, Blair makes his intentions clear, so I can only conclude that people are happy with this fate, and have become the kind of masochists that would disturb even the demons of Clive Barker's Hellraiser.
twilight
depends on when it is deployed
16.09.2005 08:06
Scenario: Violent psychotic male rampaging through a shopping centre/tube platford, indiscriminantly lashing out at members of the public with a hammer.. lone cop shoots him with a tazer, deciding that waiting for back up with shields to arrive to contain the violent guy could leave too long a time window in which other people could be injured, being shot with a tazer which in all fairness is less likely to cause serious or lasting harm in the majority of use over say being bashed on the head with a 21" piece of steel.
It isn't what the police are equipped with, its how and when they choose to use it.
Not many people would find scenario one acceptable, and not many people would find scenario 2 unnaceptable if you spoke to the man on the street.
Use of force is neccessary but it should be used to effect the quickest possible arrest or discontinuation of threat with the least possible impact on member of the public, the agressor and the officer.
Paulo
Taser phoney argument
18.09.2005 08:52
The taser will not replace the gun - the taser will be another peice of armoury to be used in reppresion and it will be used against rowdy demonstrators or people blocking roads or maybe someone arguing with the poice.
To argue as merseyside police have done - that it may save the lives of people who might normally have been shot is bullshit - they will still be shot. And in America itself a fair number of people have been killed using the taser.
People with heart defects etc etc.
this taser is scarey shit and we should be alarmed.
David George
people die, big deal
18.09.2005 10:51
If a guy points a gun at a cop, cop tazers him, guy has a weak heart and dies as a result, thats just hard fucking luck on the perp.
On the other hand, if a cop shoots someone where the use of force of a tazer isn't justified and the person dies as a result... the cop should be prosecuted. Simple logic you numb skulls fail to grasp.
start thinking about the victim as the person with rights, rather then the agressive criminal.
Lucutis
Brainwashed Billy
18.09.2005 16:57
When has that ever happened
Over 1000 black people killed in custody or by cops not one single cop has ever been prosecuted. Does mr Brainwash really think we have some type of justice system in society.
Why wern't the cops who killed the brazilian guy arrested. the police are supposed to be there to protect and serve the public not to make up all the rules themselves.
It about time popel like brainwashed and the other fools got real to reality.
Is mr brainwash fighting for all victims including the thousands of victims of false arrests and beatings by cops?
taser is bullshit - the police have far too much power already.
David George
Handheld tasers are great for shocking someone in the testicles
19.09.2005 23:48
American Anarchist
POLICING HAS CHANGED
09.10.2005 20:35
Would the majority of readers really like to patrol the streets armed with only a stick and gas (which has proved not to work on everyone) and be confronted with a raging bull intent on ripping the poor bobby's head off. I would'nt and my hat goes off to these brave officer's.
OK, in time somebody may be killed by the use of the taser. For the taser to be used, then that person must have caused a threat to an officer or a member of the public.
Its about time the UK came into 21st century policing and not 19th century policing.
Get real and stop winging.
I'd like to see the majority of wingers walking the streets.
PAUL
Pathetic excuse for a pile of cliches
03.11.2005 14:06
Gus
It's a shame
02.06.2006 15:24
Chris