Tasers Issued To Local Police Set To Be Increased

Tasers used by Humberside Police are set to be increased by 80pc following a successful bid for government funding.

Currently, Humberside Police has 150 tasers. As a result of the successful funding application, that number will be increased to 270.

The bid for £99,000 was successful and, coupled with existing funding, will allow for the purchase of an additional 40 Tasers in the current financial year.

An additional 80 Tasers in 2020/21 will be purchased giving local police officers more protection on our streets.

The Taser uplift will meet the operational needs of the force over the same period, allowing

sufficient devices to be deployed and the training programme to be achieved.

In a statement released Police and Crime Comiisior Keith Hunter said;

“I am delighted that through a bid from my office we will be able to bring the force up to the level of Tasers the Chief Constable considers appropriate.”

“This will enable the force to provide an additional element of safety for their officers at a time of increasing numbers of unacceptable assaults and violence against those working on behalf of the public.”

Tasers Can Cause Loss Off Life

Tasers were first introduced to UK police in 2003 as an alternative to firearms.

When deployed, a taser takes control of the body by shocking the nervous system with an electric pulse.

It shocks a person leaving them unable to function for around 2 or three seconds allowing them to be dealt with.

While they are not as leaful as a firearm,  tasers can cause death. The most high profile death caused by a taser is that of the former footballer Dalian Atkinson.

Recent figures released by the Home Office show that police around the UK fired a taser 2,500 in 2019. While officers carrying them were deployed to 23,000 incidents.