Statistics from the Home Office gained from a Freedom of Information request showed the weapon has been used thousands of times by police in the past fve years, with a rise in the use against children.
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A taser was drawn by Hampshire police in an incident involving a nine-year-old boy.
Police used the weapon more than 38,000 times over the past five years in England and Wales.
He insisted that the majority of Taser incidents did not involve the use of force, saying: “Only three types of the seven uses of Taser actually involve applying force”.
Rick Muir, directive of research think tank the Police Foundation, said the statistics were “extremely worrying” but said they were not proof of institutional racism, an accusation that has haunted British policing since the inquiry into Stephen Lawrence’s murder.
“In a lot of cases, the officer may not have to use the Taser, the presence of it as well as the communication skills of the officer can lead to a peaceful resolution”.
In 4,582 of those cases they involved a black person of African-Caribbean origin or of mixed white and African-Caribbean origin – representing 12.7 per cent.
The figures follow a warning by Home Secretary Theresa May that she is prepared to legislate to curb the “excessive and disproportionate” use of the powers if the police record does not improve.
Overall, white people make up 87 per cent of the population.
In February this year the Police Federation voted for all uniformed officers to be issued with Tasers. But only 4% involved Asians, who form 8.1% of the population.
The National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC), which co-ordinates national operational policing, said specialist Taser officers acted fairly regardless of race.
Superintendent Jon Dodman, of Suffolk Constabulary, said: “Our officers have a number of options available to diffuse high risk situations including Taser and the priority will always be the safety of the public and the offender”. The “Taser” guns fire needle-tipped darts up to 21ft to deliver a disabling, 50,000-volt shock.
There were 30 teenagers aged 15 who were subject to Taser in London a year ago – five of whom were classified as white – while 56 Taser cases involved children aged 16.
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In another case, a Taser was reportedly drawn against a 91-year-old man, the figures revealed. What is your reaction to this?
