Violent or armed criminals are in for a shock as Medway police step up the use of the Taser stun gun.
Previously, if Taser was needed it was requested centrally at headquarters and a firearms team or officer was then deployed.
But now a number of Medway’s emergency response officers have been trained – meaning potentially deadly confrontations with suspected offenders can be nullified more quickly.
Chief Inspector for Operations Peter de Lozey said: “This is a really important training development at Medway.
“The use of Taser gives us another option in dealing with violent people and can greatly reduce the risk of injury to both them and officers and enable us to deal with situations very quickly.”
The Taser sends up to a 50,000 volt current into the victim, causing the muscles to spasm and the victim to be temporarily paralysed.
Where the Taser has been used in Kent previously, the aiming red dot has largely acted as a deterent and diffusing the situation.
Between December 2008 and 2009, Tasers were deployed 142 times, but only fired in eight instances.
The stun gun is can fire up to 21 feet and a small barb can pierce clothes and lodges two millimetres into the skin, before delivering its electric shock to paralyse the target without causing any lasting injuries.
POSTED: 09/03/2010 11:16:53
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