Tasers......UK police...a good idea?
Discussion
On another thread someone posted a link to a forum for US expats in the UK, couldn't resist having a peek, and one of the discussion topics is about how a Polish guy was tasered to death in Vancouver airport by security staff.
http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=39089.0
The interesting/worrying thing are the comments about how common the use of tasers has become, how the police ( cops ) seem to use them as a first resort because of the perception that they are non lethal.
What worries me is that with Tasers being tested ( lets face it rolled out ) to forces across the UK......how long will it be before the first death here.....and to what extent will the UK police make indiscriminate use of them, where other methods of restraint could be used.
I'm not sure I fancy being tasered for not producing an ID card in 2010.
http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=39089.0
The interesting/worrying thing are the comments about how common the use of tasers has become, how the police ( cops ) seem to use them as a first resort because of the perception that they are non lethal.
What worries me is that with Tasers being tested ( lets face it rolled out ) to forces across the UK......how long will it be before the first death here.....and to what extent will the UK police make indiscriminate use of them, where other methods of restraint could be used.
I'm not sure I fancy being tasered for not producing an ID card in 2010.
LeTim said:
I can tell you if they do get widely adopted... Herford on a Saturday night at closing time will resemble the final scene in Gremlins III.
Tasers are classed as firearms over here and they can not just be deployed. Only the the specialist firearms officers have them and they need authorisation to unlock them from the car and further authorisation to use them. It's not going to be Gremlins anytime soon.I'd much rather they had tasers than handguns.
Put it this way - in the US, IMO one of the reasons why they've got such a big gun problem is that the police all have them and have a reputation for trigger-happiness. So all the crims get them, then all the people feel they need one to protect them from the crims - etc.
Also, I think there's a distinct advantage to being able to shoot and temporarily disable a target, only to have them regain consciousness inside a cell, being questioned, as opposed to them either getting away or being shot. It's a significant advantage over the criminals.
Put it this way - in the US, IMO one of the reasons why they've got such a big gun problem is that the police all have them and have a reputation for trigger-happiness. So all the crims get them, then all the people feel they need one to protect them from the crims - etc.
Also, I think there's a distinct advantage to being able to shoot and temporarily disable a target, only to have them regain consciousness inside a cell, being questioned, as opposed to them either getting away or being shot. It's a significant advantage over the criminals.
Laird said:
I'm more concerned with the problem of the great unwashed having access to them. They can readily be bought in eastern Europe, look identical to a torch and are easy to bring into the country.
And carrying one in this country would get you into the same level of serious trouble as carrying a gun.I'm all for the cops having tasers to use as an alternative to firearms. There may be situations where they can use them and avoid the use of lethal force.
I can see no reason why the general public should have access to them. I can justify firearms more easily - shooting at a range is a fun activity. I can imagine, if it were legal/less difficult, owning a Glock kept at the club in their firearms safe for the purposes of having a go at targets from time to time. The Taser has no recreational purpose - it is a (less lethal) weapon only.
Yes
http://campussqueeze.com/20-top-taser-videos-on-yo...
Having personally fought a number of individuals like those depicted without the benefit of Tazer, it's no fun I can assure you, however big and tough you may be.
The Tazer prevents injury to the suspect 99.9% of the time and the officer/s almost always. Rolling around on the ground with a drug crazed man mountain is not my idea of a good day at the office
Take a look at the druggy nutter in the cell as an example. Do you want to go in there with him for a wrestle? Biting, spitting, hiv/hep b/c infected etc Yes, that camera is covered in gob, quite normal behaviour from some of my customers.
He was safetly controlled within seconds, the sooner they issue me with it the better!
http://campussqueeze.com/20-top-taser-videos-on-yo...
Having personally fought a number of individuals like those depicted without the benefit of Tazer, it's no fun I can assure you, however big and tough you may be.
The Tazer prevents injury to the suspect 99.9% of the time and the officer/s almost always. Rolling around on the ground with a drug crazed man mountain is not my idea of a good day at the office
Take a look at the druggy nutter in the cell as an example. Do you want to go in there with him for a wrestle? Biting, spitting, hiv/hep b/c infected etc Yes, that camera is covered in gob, quite normal behaviour from some of my customers.
He was safetly controlled within seconds, the sooner they issue me with it the better!
Twincam16 said:
I'd much rather they had tasers than handguns.
Put it this way - in the US, IMO one of the reasons why they've got such a big gun problem is that the police all have them and have a reputation for trigger-happiness. So all the crims get them, then all the people feel they need one to protect them from the crims - etc.
More the other way round. Everyone has them, so the police have them too.Put it this way - in the US, IMO one of the reasons why they've got such a big gun problem is that the police all have them and have a reputation for trigger-happiness. So all the crims get them, then all the people feel they need one to protect them from the crims - etc.
As such, the police KNOW that anyone they stop could be armed, so are appropriately ready/nervous. You'd be trigger happy too, in that situation. In fairness, the number of incidents is very low given the circumstances.
You'll notice that in all of the videos you see of people getting shot/tasered/having the crap kicked out of them, it's always the people who are mouthing off, acting agressively, moving quickly, have their hands out of sight, wearing baddy clothing that could conceal a weapon and so on.
Their guidelines for use are similar to those in the UK - remember the fat woman who got tasered because she wouldn't get out of her car? The police followed them to the letter - any number of warnings, followed by a tasering, followed by another tasering when she still refused to obey.
Never piss off a man with a gun. Or a taser for that matter.
Don said:
And carrying one in this country would get you into the same level of serious trouble as carrying a gun.
Don said:
I can see no reason why the general public should have access to them.
Me neither but the unpalatable truth is they do
I'd love to see them get Tazed see how big & clever they are then. If someone's kicking off big time & won't be reasoned with then 'have it'.Gassing Station | The Pie & Piston Archive | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff