Every police officer in the UK will be armed with a Taser within three years due to “worrying” levels of violence, a chief constable has predicted. Northamptonshire Police chief Nick Adderley said he believes the stun guns will be issued as standard protective equipment, alongside batons and handcuffs, to deter people from attacking officers.
It comes after his force recorded a near-50% increase in assaults on police officers in the last two years. What’s more worrying is the level of violence towards police officers and police staff,” Mr Adderley said.
“I’ve made the prediction that, probably within the next three years, Tasers will be considered as personal protective equipment and it would be issued alongside batons, gas and ‘cuffs. “As we see society changing, and unless there’s going to be major U-turn over the next couple of years, I actually think it’s right and proper… there has to be a reaction and a consequence to the level of violence towards emergency service workers, particularly police officers.”
Mr Adderley said he has been considering making Northamptonshire Police the first UK force to arm all its front-line officers with Tasers, which he expected would cost £220,000.
He said he would prioritise arming officers who respond to 999 and 101 calls and neighbourhood officers who often work alone in “isolated areas”. “If you think about the number of officers I’m losing through injury, who are off sick, it makes more fiscal sense to actually invest to this level,” he added.
“This isn’t just about verbal altercations or a bit of pushing and shoving. This is the real high end of grievous bodily harm or actual bodily harm which we’ve started to see an increase in.
“That’s why I’ve said we’re going to have to respond and react to that, by making sure we have the deterrent that’s necessary to protect staff.”
Reports previously revealed that police fired Tasers at children as young as 13, elderly people including a 77-year-old pensioner and at least 37 dogs between January 2016 and November 2018. Amnesty International warned at the time that the weapons were not “toy guns” and urged officers to stop firing them at people at greater risk of serious health problems and even death.
