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“Taser gun roll out – your opinion counts”

Recent news: For the last three years Taser stun guns have been making a difference on the streets of Derbyshire when used by specially trained police officers, not only keeping the public safe but also protecting our police officers. Now Derbyshire’s Chief Constable Mick Creedon has spoken out following the Government’s announcement to fund an extra 10,000 Taser devices to equip every police force in the country.

Currently in Derbyshire, 62 armed response officers are trained to use Tasers but Mr Creedon wants a further 83 officers from the force’s Road Policing Unit to be able to use them. These officers are based across the county and available 24 hours a day. Mr Creedon said: “Considering the demand and the need to cover the whole of the county, I think armed response and road policing officers are the right way to do things.” Do you agree?  We want to hear what you think about the Chief Constable’s plans.

Click here to complete the online survey

First let’s look in more detail at the use of the Taser gun.

• How do Tasers work? The Taser gun looks like a pistol but uses compressed air to fire two darts that trail electric cable back to the handset. When the darts strike, a non-lethal 50,000-volt charge is released down the cable, causing the muscles to contract and resulting in the subject falling to the ground or ‘freezing’ on the spot.
• When were Tasers first introduced? Taser was first introduced in Derbyshire in 2005 following a trial that began in April 2003 which saw specialist firearms officers in five police forces – Lincolnshire, Metropolitan, Northamptonshire, North Wales and Thames Valley – carrying stun guns for the first time. Initially the weapons were only deployed in response to firearms incidents but since then powers have been extended to include incidents of serious violence or threat, such as from knives. More than 3,000 Tasers have been issued to firearms officers in Britain since 2003.
• How many times has Taser been used?In Derbyshire Taser has been discharged four times since their introduction. On another 46 occasions, the weapon has been drawn, pointed or a ‘red dot’ laser sight attached to the gun aimed without being fired, showing that often officers only need to draw the Taser to stop most criminals. If we look at the actual number of authorised requests for Taser, our latest figures show that there were 180 from 1 April 2008 to 28 January this year.
• What checks are there on the use of Tasers? The weapons carry a microchip carrying data about when they were used and for how long which can be downloaded onto a computer. During the first pilot of Tasers in 2003, all incidents in which they were discharged were referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), which investigates police complaints. Now, incidents are referred if there is a complaint, death or serious injury.
• What is the cost?If a further 200 Tasers are introduced, we would need to spend £25,000 training officers to use them. An extra £32,000 would be spent annually on batteries and refresher training and a further £185,000 would be spent in five years’ time to replace them. Please complete our online survey at http://www.derbyshire.police.uk. We look forward to hearing your views.

“The search for Derbyshire’s bobby of the year has started again”. The Chief Constable, Mick Creedon, is asking anyone who has had dealings with the police during the past 12 months to nominate their favourite officer by writing to him. Mr Creedon is also looking for nominations for the best Safer Neighbourhood Team and Police Community Support Officer in the county. The county’s most popular bobby has been chosen annually since 1986 when the then Chief Constable, Mr Alan Smith, provided a large silver cup to be awarded each year to the winner. The contest for the Chief Constable’s Cup is open to anyone serving in the force, including officers working on community beats, with young people, traffic, general patrol, CID or in any other department. Any police officer is eligible for nomination. The winner will take part in the National Community Police Officer of the Year award. The awards for Neighbourhood Team and Police Community Support Officer of the Year were introduced by former Chief Constable David Coleman to highlight the fantastic work done by officers working with their partners in the community. Mr Creedon said: “I am sure we will have a lot of nominations for all three awards. We have had a wonderful response from the public in the past and praise for officers has come from all age groups and all areas of the community. I am delighted that so many of Derbyshire’s police officers and community support officers are held in such high esteem by the people they serve.” The winner will be selected by a panel of judges, comprising members of the Police Authority, chaired by Mr Creedon. The winner of last year’s CC’s Cup was PC Douglas Eyre from Hathersage and Bradwell, Chesterfield Town Centre Safer Neighbourhood Team was named as the best team. Nicola Greenfield from Shirebrook took the title of Police Community Support Officer of the Year.

This year nominations can be submitted via the force website  or sent by post to the Chief Constable at Police Headquarters, Butterley Hall, Ripley, DE5 3RS by Friday, April 10, 2009.