Tasers
Tasers are hand-held weapons which can deliver a shock of 50,000 volts. The shock normally results in a person collapsing suddenly to the ground and urinating themselves. As the victim is unable to put out his or her arms to break the fall, the collapse itself often results in injuries to the head, some of them fatal.
Described as a “less-than-lethal” weapon by the police, the argument in favour of their use is that it allows police to use Tasers in situations where shooting may kill a person, arguing that “it is better to be Tasered than to be shot.” However, after Tasers are introduced, the number of police shootings stay about the same. Tasers are thus an additional form of violence, and not a substitute for police use of handguns. In the first two weeks of Tasers being introduced in NSW, 5 people were Tasered (Guns a jolt from boys in blue by Dylan Welch Sydney Morning Herald 18-19 October 2008). The argument that Tasers are not used instead of guns is also supported by evidence produced by Amnesty International, showing that over 90% of those Tasered in the USA of those Tasered in the USA were not carrying weapons at the time of the Taser being used against them.
The use of Tasers do not have the same accountability mechanisms as fire arms. In short, they don’t leave a bullet wound, and their use carries a lot less publicity. This is a recipe for abuse. This has already happened. In one instance, a man died of a heart attack after being repeatedly Tasered, but police omitted to include those assaults from official records (Police silence on man's death after Taser hit by Dylan Welch Sydney Morning Herald 20 November 2008).
The abuse of Tasers by police officers is a high-rating search on youtube. In the main, police officers do not use Tasers as a self-defence weapon to protect themselves or others, but as a punishment for non-compliance. In one Queensland case, a child refused to move away from a friend who waiting for an ambulance. The 16 year-old girl was Tasered (Police feel heat after girl tasered by Michael McKenna The Australian 15 November 2008).
The October 2008 extension of Tasers in NSW occurred a few weeks before an Ombudsman’s report was made public, calling for the roll-out of Tasers to general duties’ officers to be put on hold for two years as a result of safety concerns.
There have been no reports of Tasers being used at protests. Such use would be reckless, given the difficulty in aiming Tasers accurately and not hitting bystanders. Their use at political protests has not been ruled out by the State government or NSW police.
Further reading
Shock to the system by Natasha Bita The Australia 12 August 2008.
Tasers "are being introduced to Australia's police forces by stealth, without parliamentary scrutiny or even public debate over their safety or suitability."
Pursuit of shock tactics by Michael McKenna The Australian 13 January 2009.
Ombudsman calls for freeze on Tasers by Belinda Merhab 20 November 2008.
"The NSW Ombudsman has recommended a two-year freeze on further roll-outs of Taser guns, saying police standards for their use are inadequate, and the health risks unknown."
Tighten police taser controls: lawyers by Michael McKenna The Australian 8 January 2009.
London police wary of Tasers by Richard Ford The Australian 26 November 2008.
"The authority overseeing Britain's largest police force has warned that a government decision to allow Taser stun guns to be used by non-specialist firearms officers threatens to cause fear among the public."
Police proceed with stun gun trial by Dylan Welch Sydney Morning Herald 21 November 2008.
"The government is refusing to commit to key recommendation's in a scathing Ombudsman's report into the use of Tasers."
Police slammed over Taser plan by Dylan Welch Sydney Morning Herald 19 November 2008.
Stun gun police use widened by Dylan Welch Sydney Morning Herald 2 October 2008.
Tasers will be in the hands of general duties police officers for the first time in the state's history from today.
Youtube has numerous clips on the use of Tasers.
For extensive background reading, see the USA Amnesty site.