Police must address Taser concerns after increase of use on children and mentally ill
The policing watchdog is urging forces to address serious concerns over the use of Tasers or risk losing the trust and confidence of the communities they serve.
The inappropriate use of such weapons featured prominently in the recent court case of West Mercia officer Benjamin Monk, who was convicted of manslaughter for kicking the retired footballer Dalian Atkinson in the head after an "excessive" 33-second Taser deployment in Telford five years ago.
Now the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has carried out a review of 101 incidents involving the device resulting in concerns about the increased use of Tasers on children and the mentally ill between 2015 and 2020.
The report said there were several examples of "missed opportunities" for police to diffuse situations before drawing the weapon which works by sending electric pulses through the body, causing temporary incapacitation.
The IOPC also found that black people were more likely to be subjected to prolonged Taser discharge, compared with white people. And the watchdog said there was evidence some officers made derogatory remarks during the incidents.
In May, following investigations lasting five years, Monk was cleared of the ex-Aston Villa player's murder but convicted of his manslaughter after a trial which heard he Tasered him and then kicked him twice in the head as he lay collapsed on the ground. The kicks left two bootlace imprints on the former Premier League star's forehead.
