The Hidden Glasgow Forums

Taser guns on Strathclyde streets

British firearms officers in a demonstration of the Taser gun
Strathclyde Police officers are the first in Scotland to use Taser guns
Scotland's largest police force has become the first in the country to introduce the Taser stun gun.

Strathclyde Police began issuing the weapon, which delivers a 50,000-volt electric shock, to specially-trained firearms officers from Monday.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4259670.stm

And its no wonder seeing as we live in the unsafest country in the developed world according to the UN.
I don't doubt that report unlike Ms Jameson et al..this city is over run with tooled up wee hard men roaming the place, A&E departments are stretched to breaking point with victims of chibbings, kickings, shootings, glassings and all the other ings that neds do.
Funny how that was issued the day prior to the cops getting these though, softens the shock that we'll have armed cops on the street albeit with a souped up scalextric controler.

"The majority of police forces throughout the UK are in the process of deploying Tasers as a less lethal option, where the use of firearms has been authorised"

Pedant alert - 'less lethal'. Implies something would be more lethal. Degrees of death?

Shazbat wrote:Pedant alert - 'less lethal'. Implies something would be more lethal. Degrees of death?

Taser: not normally lethal
Handgun: Frequently lethal

Therefore taser less lethal than handgun

Shazbat wrote:Pedant alert - 'less lethal'. Implies something would be more lethal. Degrees of death?

less often lethal. There are still plenty enough cases where they have been, although as AlanM says, these are less frequent than with, eg handgun.

I don't see the problem with this, a firearms officer can use a gun and shoot the person with a high chance of killing them, or a Taser with a low chance of killing them, and thats a bad thing? Well I supoose killing them saves the cost of prison and a trial...

Mind you people are already calling for an 'enquiry'. Is that all this country does, have enquiries on every little dubious thing cause someone doesn't like what happened. In this instant the head of Strathclyde Police has made this decision if it goes tits up then it's his head on the chopping block. Thats how it is in business.

Personally I think these tasers are probably required now for all officers, too many lunatics with knives and needles about. I don't think police are adequetly protected if someone runs at them with a knive etc. The Dixon of Dot Green days are gone...

the problem comes when the Police start using them in less-serious cases, i.e. not just as a replacement for firearms officers. e.g. at protest marches, on non-violent offenders, handcuffed offenders, etc. Or they 'fall into the wrong hands' (read: crooked Police sell them to their criminal pals)

Amnesty International has documented the use of Tasers against unruly schoolchildren, pregnant women (one of whom lost her baby afterwards) a 71-year old half-blind woman and startlingly, a 9-year-old girl who was already handcuffed.

http://www.amnesty.org.uk/news/press/16326.shtml
http://www.amnesty.org.uk/news/press/16116.shtml

I don't think its a question of crooked police passing them on to crims as in the US they are available for "home self defence".

(The cheapest comes in at $399, since you ask.)

Incidentally, the Taser International website has video clips highlighting Taser use, including times when they're used to stop people committing suicide. Odd. You would think some patience and some careful words would do the trick. However it seems that once the cops have a new toy they just love to use it.

As of the moment Strathclyde's finest only have Tasers issued to armed response units, but I suspect it wont be long till the regular cops are able to deliver 50,000 volts of goodwill to the public should the need arise.

JayKay wrote:I suspect it wont be long till the regular cops are able to deliver 50,000 volts of goodwill to the public should the need arise.

Fingers crossed!!!!!!!!

The sooner we can deploy these on the streets to sort out the multitude of scumbags that are out on the streets the better.

Bring em on!!

The Strathclyde Police are so useless and lazy we could issue them all with nuclear-bombs-in-a-suitcase and we'd still all be perfectly safe.

How about trying something novel?

Don't let this become the usual polarised style of thread that has one camp hosting the "All scumbags deserve tasers and more" thought, and the other occupied by the "All police with tasers etc. are just looking for the first hint of an excuse to deploy".

It's more important to make sure the authorities are held accountable, and that "Wall's of Silence" are made as unacceptable as drink driving (was), because one thing is deadly sure. For better or worse, the 'good guys' have a degree of accountability, the 'bad guys' have none.

Why dont they just give all the criminals tasers so they can 'stun' their victims rather that shoot them dead during holdups ...just a thought..

In this country we are very lucky in that the police are very well trained and also policed.

Whilst many will criticise the standard of policing in this country I think that you would struggle to find a better trained force anywhere else

Alan

BTW - I'm no a polis

I think that you would struggle to find a better trained force anywhere else

, I once heard the UK army was the 'best' in the world. How can you prove that kind of thing...

It may be considered the best because of the fact that many countries around the world send their best candidates to Hendon and Sandhurst, for police and army training.
Indonesia, Malaysia, Iraq, Iran, Saudi, Namibia you name it, all of their top generals have got their wings from Sandhurst.
Next time you see news footage of some country in turmoil watch out for the General in the background proudly wearing the Red Beret.