Carrying Tasers a welcome move

Police Minister Michael Woodhouse welcomes today’s announcement by Police Commissioner Mike Bush that all frontline first response staff will soon routinely carry Tasers.

“The Taser rollout is an important step to help ensure the safety of both the community and our frontline officers and I fully support the decision,” Mr Woodhouse says.

“We know frontline officers often find themselves in rapidly changing situations and it is not always practical to return to their vehicle to retrieve a Taser.

“Having a Taser strapped to their hip provides officers with another option to diffuse or deal with violent offenders.

“This Government has always acknowledged the use of the Taser as a vital tool available to Police. They have proven to be an effective tactical option for both preventing and responding to high risk situations, with a consistently low risk of injury to the public, offenders and police staff.”

Over the past five years, Tasers have been available to Police during more than 30,000 reported incidents attended by Police, but due to their deterrent effect, in almost 90 per cent of cases they have not been discharged.

“We owe it to the frontline officers protecting our communities and keeping us safe to ensure they have access to all tactical options they may need during the course of duty.”

The change will require around 400-600 additional devices to be purchased and will be funded from within Police’s current budget.