Review Of Taser Within The MPS

Report: 4
Date: 10 September 2004
By: Commissioner

Summary

This report provides up to date details of the current ongoing ACPO trial of Taser as a less lethal option with supporting statistics and outlines the current position in relation to its ongoing use and deployment as it pertains to the MPS.

A. Recommendations

Members are asked to note the updated details of the current trial and issues that have been raised and recognise the positive benefits that continued deployment of Taser would bring to the MPS.

B. Supporting information

1 Tasers are devices designed to use the effects of electricity to incapacitate individuals. There are a variety of such weapons available but the principles of their operation remain the same. They are battery powered and use a low current, high voltage impulse shock to provide temporary incapacitation.

2 The Taser device selected for use in the ACPO trial was the Taser International M26 Advanced Taser.

3 Tasers were approved for operational deployment within five police Forces as part of a study of less lethal technologies that could be used when officers were dealing with violent situations. In the trial Taser would be available as a less lethal alternative in circumstances where a firearm would otherwise be authorised. In addition to the MPS, the other Forces participating in the trial were North Wales, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Thames Valley.

4 The 12-month long trial started on 21 April 2003 and was subject of an independent review by Price Waterhouse Cooper. A final report was published. An executive summary of which is attached at Appendix A.

Current criteria and methods of deployment

5 The criteria for deploying the Taser at this time is with suitably trained firearms officers to designated firearms incidents. Thus it gives armed officers another less lethal option of dealing with suspects other than conventional firearms.

6 Within the MPS Taser is deployed on all operational SO19 ARV’s and both SO18 and SO16 enhanced vehicles.

MPS operational statistics

7 As stated above, the Taser is carried by all operational SO19 ARV’s, SO18 and SO16 enhanced vehicles as well as SO19 specialist teams. As such it attends all firearms calls within the MPS and officers consider its suitability as a response at each one.

8 Between 21 April 2003 and 28 July 2003 Taser was only deployed on SO19 Supervisors’ vehicles and as such was available to attend 4,152 firearms calls. After that date it was deployed on all SO19 ARV’s and so it attended all ARV calls. In this period there were 18,328 firearms calls. In March this year it was deployed on the SO18 and SO16 enhanced vehicles.

9 To understand the breakdown of the figures it should be understood how the Taser operates and what constitutes a “use”.

10 The Taser can be operated with a cartridge attached to the front of the device and when fired two probes connected to insulated wires are discharged at the subject. These will attach to the skin or clothing of the subject. This will complete a circuit and electricity flows into the subject causing incapacitation. Alternatively the weapon can also be used without a cartridge attached and when the trigger is depressed the electricity sparks between the two electrodes on the front of the weapon. This can be used as a demonstration of force to the subject or directly applied to the subject’s body in what is termed “drive stun” mode. When the Taser is switched on a red dot laser sight is illuminated which can be placed on the subject’s body. This has on many occasions been sufficient to de-escalate a violent situation.

11 For the purposes of the ACPO trial the term ‘use of the Taser’ will include any of the following actions carried out in an operational setting:

1. Drawing of a device in circumstances where any person perceives the action as a use of force or threat of a use of force, whether or not this is accompanied by a verbal warning, sparking of the device or placing of the laser sight red dot onto a subject.
2. Firing of a device so that the barbs are discharged at a subject.
3. Application and discharge of a device in ‘drive stun mode’ to a subject.

12 The following statistics cover the period from the commencement of the trial on 21 April 2003 to 8 July 2004 and apply solely to the MPS.

13 There have been 42 uses in total as described above. These consist of 22 occasions where the subject has had the Taser aimed at them (red dot). The Taser has been sparked as a show of force on 3 occasions and has been used in “drive stun” mode twice. It has been actually fired 15 times to date.

Current position in relation to the ACPO trial

14 Following a successful conclusion of the year long trial period, ACPO approached the Home Office and proposed that the trial be extended and Taser be made available to all police forces within the same guidelines that have been in place within the five trial forces for the preceding period. Furthermore, Taser should be made available to other suitably trained specialist officers within the five trial forces and deployed to a wider range of incidents to include those incidents where an officer may have to face serious violence or the threat of serious violence. At the conclusion of the year trial and pending the Home Office decision, the trial continued in the same format.

15 The initial response from the Home Office was that there was insufficient data to support the extension of the trial to the extent proposed by ACPO and that two or three other forces would be allowed to join the five existing ones. The deployment criteria would remain the same. A presentation was made by ACPO in support of their case to The Secretary of State for the Home Office Caroline Flint MP and the outcome of this is awaited.

Specialist Taser officers within the MPS

16 Within the MPS the specialist officers that have been identified for Taser training are TSG officers. A working group has been set up and a two-day training package has been written for non Authorised Firearms Officers (AFO’s). Should the Home Office decision be to widen the scope of the trial to other specialist officers then the training of the TSG could commence at short notice.

Geographical issues

17 The map attached at Appendix B details locations of Taser uses. There is no discernable pattern to Taser “uses” and indeed Taser “uses” do not follow the general firearms hotspot or Trident boroughs. It would be fair to say that there is a spread across the whole of London and Taser has been “used” on most Boroughs. Hounslow and Croydon Boroughs have each had four “uses” followed by Lambeth Brent and Waltham Forest Boroughs with three each. Ealing, Camden, Southwark, Havering, Wandsworth and Kensington all have two uses. The Boroughs of Kingston upon Thames, Richmond upon Thames, Hammersmith and Fulham, Westminster, Hackney, Enfield, Lewisham, Hillingdon, Greenwich, Bexleyheath and Redbridge all have one use each. Similarly there is no pattern between types of use, although most of the firings/drive stuns are shown to the west side of the MPS. Notably Hounslow Borough has had four “uses” all of which have been either firings or drive stuns.

Evaluation of taser use

18 The Taser has proved to be an extremely effective item of policing equipment. On almost every occasion that it has been “used” it has provided a positive outcome to a violent incident allowing officers an alternative option to that of reverting to conventional firearms. It is no coincidence that the number of police shootings has been significantly reduced since its introduction however; it cannot be seen as a panacea. The Taser has a limited range of 21 feet and due to the spread of the barbs it often cannot be used in confined areas with obstructions. The Taser has also failed on two operational occasions.

19 Taser has been welcomed by officers who see it as another option in the “toolbox”. The option to avoid recourse to conventional firearms is welcomed by all. There are many instances where those who have been the subject of a Taser discharge would have been shot with conventional firearms had the officer not had a less lethal option. The resultant saving in terms of subsequent enquiries and the impact on the community, the Service the officers and the individuals concerned have been immeasurable.

MPS Issues

20 The MPS by very reason of size has had more than fifty percent of the “uses” of Taser to date. Much will depend on the Home Office decision but the decision that would impact most on the MPS is where the criteria for Taser use is widened but its carriage is still restricted to AFO’s. In this case the workload of armed vehicles would at least double with a resultant fall in efficiency in dealing with the most serious armed calls.

C. Race and equality impact

Ethnicity of Taser subjects

1 Appendix C shows a table demonstrating the ethnic breakdown of subjects involved in Taser uses. This table shows a differentiation between the “uses” that fall into Para.11a above (i.e. the threats to use Taser) and occasions where the device has actually been discharged by way of conventional firing and/or in “drive stun” mode (as in 11b and 11c).

2 There have been twenty-four uses against White European subjects, of those, ten incidents have resulted in conventional firings and/or “drive Stuns” and fourteen fall into Para. 11a uses. In the case of Dark European subjects there have been a total of two uses consisting of one conventional firing and one Para. 11a use. For Afro Caribbean subjects, the total is ten uses; this is made up of four firings/drive stuns and six Para. 11a uses. The Taser has only been used once against a subject of Asian appearance and in this case it was conventionally fired. In four cases the ethnicity of the subject is unknown and in one of these cases the Taser was fired conventionally.

3 The number of Taser “uses” in London are relatively low. When compared to the figures of the ethnic breakdown of London (derived from the 2001 Population Census), which although are not an exact fit with the designators used by the MPS, demonstrate that there are no issues of disproportionality surrounding the use of Taser. The table in Appendix C shows the ethnic breakdown of London.

Ages of Taser subjects

4 Appendix C contains a table demonstrating the ages of Taser subjects. The recorded ages range from seventeen years old to forty years old although there are some cases where the exact ages of the subjects are unknown. Similarly, this table shows a differentiation between the “uses” that fall into Para.11a above (i.e. the threats to use Taser) and occasions where the device has actually been discharged by way of conventional firing and/or in “drive stun” mode (as in 11b and 11c) shown against the age groups of those concerned.

5 The age groups are segmented into four year blocks 17-20, 21-24 etc. up to 37-40. In the 17-20 group there have been six uses consisting of three conventional firings/drive stuns and three Para. 11a uses. In subjects 21-24 years there have been five uses two of which have been conventional firings and three were Para. 11a uses. In the 25-28 age group, there have been four uses, two of which were conventional firings/drive stuns and two Para. 11a uses. The largest group was that of 29-32 years, which showed seven uses, consisting of three conventional firings/drive stuns and four Para.11a uses. In the 33-36 year age group there were four uses one of which was a conventional firing/drive stun and in the 37-40 group there were four uses, which were evenly split. In eleven cases the exact ages of the subjects were not known.

6 Within the forty-two uses, two have been female, both of which were conventional firings.

Mental Health issues among Taser subjects

7 In fifteen incidents, officers have noted mental health issues. This includes several incidents where Taser has been used to pre-empt attempted suicides. The use of drugs has been noted on two occasions and the use of alcohol has been noted on five occasions where Taser has been used. This reflects accurately the trend identified in the recent PCA report, which, highlighted that over fifty percent of those subjects involved in police shootings were members of special population groups.

D. Financial implications

 Current Financial Implications

1 Currently there are approximately five hundred Taser trained officers within the MPS. These consist of SO19 ARV’s, SO19 SFO’s and enhanced officers from SO16 and SO18. To this end there is the ongoing training requirement to both reclassify those already trained and to encompass Taser into existing tactical training. There is also the requirement to train new officers joining those units. Initial training requires at least twelve cartridges per officer and reclassifying requires five per officer. The cost of these cartridges is £15 (+VAT) per cartridge. The current stock of weapons would seem, at this time, sufficient for purpose. Ten thousand cartridges have recently been purchased to fulfil the training and operational needs for the next twelve months. Currently there are initiatives being progressed to reduce the number of cartridges required through the use of judgement training systems but these are not yet complete.

Future Financial Implications

2 As detailed in the above paragraph there is an ongoing cost with Taser training as well as the purchase of any new weapons to account for growth in the aforementioned units. The annual cost for cartridges to address current need is £150K (+VAT).

3 As has been detailed in a previous report to the Authority on the subject, should the TSG be trained in the use of Taser there would be an initial cost of £118K for equipment and training as well as ongoing costs of reclassifying and training new officers.

4 The ACPO Trial was independently evaluated at a cost to the MPS of £86K for the first year. The details of costs for any ongoing evaluation cannot be decided until the result of the Home Office decision is known. However, if Taser is adopted countrywide, then staff from the five trial forces will deliver an ACPO approved training package and the money raised from this will be split between the five trial forces on an SSA basis.

E. Background papers

PWC Independent Evaluation of the Operational Trial of Taser

F. Contact details

Report author: PS Mick Turner SO19

For more information contact:

MPA general: 020 7202 0202
Media enquiries: 020 7202 0217/18

Appendix A

Summary of key conclusions – PWC Independent Evaluation of the Operational Trial of Taser

• In general, the Taser device was viewed by the firearms officers involved in the trial as a useful and effective piece of equipment. The officers to whom we spoke in all of the pilot forces were positive about its potential benefits.
• The main operational benefits of Taser reported were that it can help to de-escalate potentially violent situations, can reduce the risk of harm to officers and can, in some circumstances, be used with more precision than alternatives such as irritant spray and baton gun.
• Officers told us that the visual impact of arcing Taser or ‘red dotting’ a subject was frequently sufficient to make a person posing a threat cease to do so. It was thus seen as being highly effective in terms of de-escalating potentially violent situations – and therefore possibly reducing the need to introduce lethal force into incidents.
• Concerns were raised by a number of firearms officers about practical problems with Taser, notably operational reliability, design, storage and data recording. These issues were, however, raised primarily in the early months of the trial when officers were unfamiliar with the technology. By the end of the trial many of these problems appeared to have been overcome.
• It is difficult to make direct comparisons between Taser and other less lethal options because each weapon has certain benefits for specific situations. The judgement about which is best to deploy depends on the environment and nature of incident in question. That said, we concluded that Taser seems to be beneficial addition to the range of conflict management options currently available to officers.
• The trial guidelines dictated that Tasers are only deployed alongside conventional firearms and in circumstances in which it is judged appropriate for firearms officers to carry firearms. Many of those involved in the trial – senior as well as operational officers – considered that this restriction meant that opportunities to use Taser to resolve violent or potentially violent incidents that did not meet the criteria for firearms deployment had been missed.
• There has been little press interest in Taser, especially outside the trial areas. Public awareness of Taser is limited. But the experience of the trial forces to date is that the public appears to be supportive of Taser, particularly where forces are open and informative about the deployment of the technology.

Appendix B

Appendix C

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