Devon and Cornwall Police to Carry Guns.
Okay, so it’s Taser stun-guns and not real Clint Eastwood-style guns, as yet, but the advent of Police carrying stun-guns on our streets is arguably just another step closer to Police carrying real guns.
These Taser stun-guns fire needle-tipped darts up to a distance of about 21ft, according to the Herald, and can disable suspects by delivering a 50,000 volt shock. Considering people die just about every year from 240 volt shocks at home or in work, the potential for serious harm is obvious. The use of Tasers was previously limited to the confronting of armed assailants, by specially trained officers, but now it is to be rolled out to rank and file officers for use in incidents of ‘severe violence’, or mere ‘threat’.
According to Amnesty International, Tasers have resulted in about 220 deaths since brought into operation in Canada and the US. They are potentially lethal, especially with someone who has a heart condition or is under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Yup, these lethal weapons can now be used, no doubt with impunity a la the Jean Charles de Menezes killing, by Police who feel merely threatened by you. Welcome to Gordon Brown’s brave new Britain. Police State? What Police State?
How long before political demonstrators feel the power of a Taser?
http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/ ( go to home page, type ‘Taser’ into search box)
Talking Liberties 
Jesus. Police feel threatened all the time!
The ones you see at demos are not usually told WHY they are being given riot gear, they just put on the helmets, shields, truncheons etc because they figure that if they’re offered them they must be likely to need them. That’s why they often provoke or even initiate violence – just because they are expecting it.
If they’re given tasers they will assume it’s because the situation they’re being sent into demands it, which will make them even more jumpy and prone to shoot before they think.
Using one in a crowd would be likely to cause instant mass panic, as far as I can see – electric shocks are very painful…
very interesting.
i’m adding in RSS Reader
I find this hilarious….you people have no trust in your police to carry a stun gun???? Knives are not illegal in Britain and when a violent person cannot carry a pistol around….why not a butcher knife from the kitchen? When the police arrive the man pulls the knife…I’m not going to try and “subdue” him unarmed. Call the armed response unit? Yea….and 30 minutes latter. Since Brits trust the police to protect them and civilians don’t own guns…why not let the police own guns….even a little dinky stun gun….oh no wait ….we don’t even trust the police….let alone ourselves. You people are so funny …all the while Rapes, armed robberies, home invasions, thefts, and assaults leap bounds above american statistics…..only murder in the US prevails.
I have been hit by an X26 Taser and I’m fine…..the police will receive training to not use tasers on the elderly, children, and disabled , they will also be hit with a taser in training to know it’s effects. You can not help when someone is drugged up and crazed as any physical exertion is dangerous to them (running, fighting, and struggling can cause their heart to quit).
The more police that are beaten, stabbed, killed , and held helplessly with those they came to protect will cause the Govt to consider the lives of the innocent before the lives of the suspect….unlike their former approach (rolls eyes) .
We do not trust our Police Full-Stop in this country, Raiderbeater. I suggest you educate yourself about the current standing of the UK Police – start with Jean Charles de Menezes or Brian Haw – before talking disdainfully, and erroneously about “you people”.
Have a nice day.
Hi!
great article. I like how you brought two interesting subjects up.
I believe your reporting on tasers (with a ‘z’ or an ‘s’..?) is perhaps a tad misleading. I’ve studied a year in physics (no degree, I’m now studying communication & media science) – but even before I studied physics I knew, that amperes (aka amps) kill. Supposedly micro amps are enough to kill a human. Volts don’t have an influence on this. While you are generally correct in stating, that tasers (I’ll just go with the ‘s’ here..) *can* kill, generally they don’t have the power to kill a healthy human (ie, someone who isn’t suffering from heart-disease or similar (I’m no physician though!)). I do find your reporting as somewhat inflamatory and even provocative in this respect.
Which brings me to my next point – I’m British. Granted, I don’t live in ol’ blighty anymore. I’m back for a month to eight weeks once a year. hardly domiciled, ey?
anyhow, before I continue, I’ll take the liberty of listing the countries that have policemen that wield firearms, that I have witnessed first hand:
– France
– Germany
– Switzerland (man, you should see those guys. they make ‘swat’ look common)
– Italy
– Spain
– Netherlands
– Belgium
– Tunisia
– Luxembourg
– Egypt
– Blighty (*not* common, but you should’ve seen Heathrow back in the 90s for instance – SMGs, Pistols, body armour, sniffers, they weren’t messing around!(guess IRA did teach us something.. :-\) plus all it takes is a radio / distress call and armed police show up quickly..it seems British cops adjust to circumstance when they have to. IMHO that can never be wrong, as long as they on our side.)
To my knowledge, and I’m going out on a limb here and cannot personally confirm, but I do believe, apart from the British police force, there is no police force in the EU that is not generally armed with a firearm.
Just because Police have better armaments, does not mean that laws concerning private citizens are tighter.
I know how we Brits think – as soon as someone has a more powerful weapon or a longer reach, we generally assume they’re gonna come for us. If we didn’t have this mentality (or experience!) then the Magna Carta would never have come to existence. That’s why we need it desperately (also because back then it was true and it can become true nowadays again! I am *NOT* criticising vigilance!).
OTOH, we must always consider what society has come to. When I return to blighty, I never travel higher north than Bristol. Chew on that.
Between people who have no future and turn into antisocial chavs, or next to unemployed muslims with imams banned in their home country, because they are fundamental maniacs preaching terror – what would you rather have?! an armed police force, that has tipped the favour to their side or a rampant and anti-social and destructive aggressor?
many yanks produce a similar argument – “oh there’s some kind of threat.. but let us not be affected by it and wrongly quote Franklin: those who give up liberty for security deserve neither and will lose both” (correct: “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.” (quoting http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Benjamin_Franklin (probably still wrong lol)) – what is temporary, what is essential? and vice versa?). personally, I want the police and any other LEO on my side, thank you very much! and if they tase someone who would otherwise stab a sibling or blow themselves up? all the better. granddad & grandma have no reason to resist police authority and thus will not get tased. I doubt someone will throw a hissy-fit over no MOT or no-claims-bonus.
BUT, otoh, again, things also need to change in Britain. Unemployed need to get better training and schooling so they can support themselves. or at least have some kind of hope for their future (jesus effing christ britannia, WTF!? HELP THEM!)
Where does that leave us? Well, seeing as I know where I stand, I’m all for increasing the police force, introducing tasers, having armed police patrol high priority targets.
But woe to them if the laws deter them from serving the British citizen and force oppression! Magna Carta took the rebellion of the Barons. And we will and must rise again if they actually try that BS again!
And as far as laws protecting citizens are being broken or reduced – the english came up first with the Magna-Carta and as soon as it is time again, should the need arise, I believe we will fight for what is ours again. Our roots are deep, our history is clear and grand. Only counting world wars, we’ve saved the world twice.
I don’t see why aggressively armed police (assuming we as Christian citizens aren’t the victim) should not exist. The police forces sacrifice a lot for us – they are the British peace-keepers and deserve our respect and support!
Hey altaco, cheers for stopping by.
I have to disagree with your assertion regarding tasers, that “generally they don’t have the power to kill a healthy human”. I think that is amply disproved by the reports of where just exactly that HAS happened. There is a link above to an article entitled “Teen dies After shot with taser…”
Regarding your mention of the Magna Carta, many will tell you that the rights enshrined in that are slowly but surely being dismantled. Detention without charge, erosion of right to trial by jury, to name but two. And it is the government with the full backing of the Police, who are doing this. They are the “rampant,… anti-social and destructive aggressors”, not petty criminals, gangs, single mothers, the unemployed, or radical muslims.
[Quote]They are the “rampant,… anti-social and destructive aggressors”, not petty criminals, gangs, single mothers, the unemployed, or radical muslims.[/quote]
Oh good lord…….get a life and try to get out more.
I’m afraid I have to disagree. To say the police are the ‘anti-social and destructive agressors’ and not those people who burgle, rape, rob and maim shows how some people with severe mental illness still manage to use the internet and post nonsense.
Why don’t we sack all the police and just fend for ourselves?? I’m sure freeluncher (apt name no doubt) will come running to our aid if we get attacked.
“Let’s Not Trust Anyone”, I suggest that you have misread what I wrote. I did not write that the Police are the “rampant, anti-social aggressors”, I wrote that the government are. It is the government I would want ‘sacked’, not the Police.
The problem with the Police, is with those who control them.
Can anyone tell me why the teen who died after a taser shot did not stop whatever it was he shouldn’t have been doing and surrender himself as soon as the police were on scene?
It’s about bl***y time people in this country learnt some obedience and respect for others. And if armed officers enforce a bit of fear into those who cause trouble then so be it.
I tell you what, yesterday afternoon a 26yr old was attacked and murdered in broad daylight in front of his 3yr old daughter, yes she saw it all. He was also on his way to visit his wife and newborn in hospital. All of this happened over a petty arguement in the street. How sick is that? Just last month a young teen was followed and shot dead for not reacting to intimidation. He had done nothing wrong.
So yes, please bring on the tasers and firearms and appropriate training to go with and i tell you one thing, i am not doing anything wrong so i have nothing to fear!
Lil-han, you write that “i am not doing anything wrong so i have nothing to fear!”
I am afraid you are wrong. Dead wrong. Have you ever heard of Jean Charles de Menezes?