Fears grow over Taser gun expansion

[drummer]

Fears grow over Taser gun expansion
By Miles Goslett
Last Updated: 10:42am BST 01/09/2007


Taser electric stun guns are being made available to hundreds more police in England and Wales from today.



Officers with little or no firearms training will be able to use the 50,000 volt devices to defend themselves or the public in situations of extreme violence – even if aggressors are not armed.

The move is part of a year-long trial across 10 forces.

It has been opposed by human rights groups, notably Amnesty International, on the grounds that the guns can be lethal.

Until now, Tasers have only been available to highly-trained firearms officers.

They fire two darts which release a powerful electric charge that paralyses targets temporarily.

Former Scotland Yard commander John O’Connor expressed concern at the news.

"I think the notion of giving these guns, these Taser guns, out indiscriminately to untrained officers - because it's a non-lethal option - they're going to run the risk of these things being used far too indiscriminately," he said.

Last October 47-year-old Brian Loan died several days after being shot by a Taser in County Durham.

A coroner recorded a death by natural causes, citing heart disease.

However, his sister, Barbara Hodgson, refuses to accept that explanation.

"The evidence might not exist at the minute, but I am sure we will be proved right as more cases come to light,” she said.

The Police Federation has welcomed the initiative, saying that frontline officers increasingly need the guns.

http://tinyurl.com/2stpk6

[Rod]

Never give a deadly weapon (I don’t care if they say they’re not) to an untrained individual. These officers are being subtly trained to engage the population. This is conditioning at its most basic level, very similar to how military style first person shooter games teach kids how to shoot first think second. It brings deadly engagement down to something as trivial as reflex.

When you get hit by that, if it doesn’t cause catastrophic organ failure: i.e. heart attack; than you will get some of the other side effects of electric shock; extreme weakness and joint pain among a mired of other health issues (memory loss and such).

Philosophically speaking firing electricity is not much different than a real gun. With the added issue that they will have less restraint psychologically pulling the trigger thereby allowing for greater enforcement with higher frequency. Expect to see a death toll from these soon...

Deontological (morals are not based on the consequences of the action) ethics should never be applied to law enforcement.

[Shinobi]

fuckit! get tasers too , givum taste own medicine
0ink 0ink , scoulder the pig

"Let me hear you squeal like a pig officer"