Rutherglen cops to be issued with tasers

Feb 3 2010 by Kenny Smith, Rutherglen Reformer

COPS in Rutherglen and Cambuslang are to be issued with taser guns as part of the fight against crime

The area is one of just two in the region in which bobbies will carry the controversial weapons, in the only pilot scheme of its kind in Scotland.

The six-month scheme looks set start in April, with tasers being issued in an effort to combat violent crime and attacks on officers.

In October, the Reformer exclusively revealed that two £900 tasers have been allocated to Rutherglen and Cambuslang police officers.

The other test area is Glasgow City Centre.

Strathclyde Police have identified 15 officers based at the two stations, who are about to undergo specialised training in using the taser.

Only specialised weapons-trained cops have until now used tasers. The new project will see ordinary response units handed the 240-volt guns, with a current of 0.0021 amps, to take down suspects.

The tasers are fired in situations in which officers are facing violence or threats of violence of such severity that they would need to use force to protect the public or police.

Chief Superintendent Tim Love, divisional commander for South Lanarkshire, said: “We’re always looked at enhancing safety, not only for the public, but for our officers, and

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sometimes the people we come across, who could be vulnerable or suffering from something, and are attacking police officers or members of the public.

“One of the things the taser will provide is a better and safer way of controlling people without our officers actually getting injured, rather than using CS spray or the baton.

“The closer an officer is to someone, the higher the chance of an officer receiving an injury.

“Last year, we had 167 officers in the Rutherglen and Cambuslang area who received injuries, and across the whole of Strathclyde Police over 1500 days were lost last year as a direct result of on-duty assaults to police.

“I’m not saying they would all have been reduced as a result of having a taser, but at the same time we’re obliged to see if there’s safer ways of protecting the public, our officers, and the individuals carrying out these attacks.”

Chief Superintendent Love believes the tasers will provide a deterrent to many would-be criminals, but feels the officers who carry the weapons will only be using them as a last resort.

“At present, we have officers dealing with situations where they have batons, handcuffs and CS spray, which were introduced to assist officers,” he added.

“This is just another option for officers.

“They will be fully trained in their use, to know the environment, and when to consider using them should traditional means not be considered the safest option. This is just an extension of officer safety training.

“Selected officers from response units in Rutherglen and Cambuslang will be training, totalling 15, and a small number will carry the taser, with two officers carrying a taser on the street at any one time.

“They will need to make a decision and use their professional judgement. The first thing they should use are their verbal skills, as the last thing any police office wants is a physical confrontation.”

The chief superintendent said that since tasers were first introduced to Strathclyde Police in 2005, they had only been discharged in 29 incidents.

He had looked at incidents over the past year, and identified three in which tasers could have been deployed.

He added: “One of these was an incident in Toryglen Road where there was a big disturbance, and I believe if officers had been in possession of a taser then it could have been discharged then.

“As a result of this incident, an officer was kicked in the groin, punched and headbutted, and suffered from internal bleeding.

“Perhaps the taser would have acted as a deterrent and the crowd would have dispersed, and the incident wouldn’t have resulted in an injury to our officer.”