ACPO Guidance on the Operational Use of Taser
Richard Taylor made this Freedom of Information request to The Association of Chief Police Officers of England, Wales and Northern Ireland
This request has been closed to new correspondence. Contact us if you think it should be reopened.
A statement from the Defence Scientific Advisory Council Sub-committee on the Medical Implications of Less-lethal Weapons (DOMILL) dated dated the 7th of November 2008 was released via the Home Office website on Monday the 24th of November 2008 (http://police.homeoffice.gov.uk/publicat...). This report recommended amendments to the ACPO Guidance on the Operational Use of Taser (http://www.taser.org.uk/taser/latest-ind...). In light of this could you please release the current, as amended, ACPO Guidance on the Operational use of TASER.
I note ACPO makes a commitment on its website to to respond to: "requests by e-mail for single, clearly identified documents which do not contain sensitive material" (http://www.acpo.police.uk/about_pages/fr...)
I would like to suggest this document be made available on the ACPO website and linked to prominently.
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Richard Taylor
Cambridge
FAO Richard Taylor
Details of Taser Guidance can be found through the following link;
[1]http://www.westmercia.police.uk/publicat...
I trust this meets your needs.
Regards,
Robert
Robert Blackburn
Inspector - Metropolitan Police
CO11 Public Order
New Scotland Yard
Tel: 020 7230 4203
Metphone: 64203
e-mail: [email address]
Not Protectively Marked
References
Visible links
1. http://www.westmercia.police.uk/publicat...
Mr Blackburn,
Many thanks for your reply. However you have provided a link to a document dated July 2007. I am seeking a copy of the ACPO Taser guidance as amended following the November 2008 DOMIL: report.
http://police.homeoffice.gov.uk/publicat...
Perhaps I can assume from your response that ACPO has not updated its "ACPO Policy and Operational Use of Taser by Specially Trained Units" document since July 2007?
Yours sincerely,
--
Richard Taylor
Cambridge
Mr Taylor,
The link takes you to the most current guidance.
The DOMILL statement was only issued at the end of November 2008, I'm sure an updated version will be completed in the near future.
Perhaps I can suggest that you contact ACPO Firearms through the link I provided for a definitive answer.
I hope this helps.
Robert
Robert Blackburn
Inspector - Metropolitan Police
CO11 Public Order
New Scotland Yard
Tel: 020 7230 4203
Metphone: 64203
e-mail: [email address]
Not Protectively Marked
Richard Taylor left an annotation ()
The DOMILL advisory committee has, on reviewing records of TASER use during the trial found it necessary to recommend amendments to the ACPO Guidance on the Operational Use of Taser. They have recommended that the guidance ought:
Reinforce the need for prompt medical review and, if necessary, hospital referral, of individuals who have suffered head injury either as a result of Taser-induced falls or from other uses of force,
Re-emphasise the requirement for in-custody FME evaluation of all persons who have been subjected to Taser discharge, with particular attention given to detained persons who are known to have, or are suspected to be suffering from, diabetes, asthma, heart disease, epilepsy or any other condition (including alcohol and/or illicit drug intoxication) which may influence the individual’s fitness to be detained and which, in some cases, may warrant transfer to hospital.
This request is intended to determine if these recommendations have been acted upon. Following the recent announcement that all front line response police in the UK are to be armed with TASER I think it is particularly important that this guidance be updated so that those individuals particularly at risk of adverse outcomes get the appropriate care following TASER use.
Richard Taylor left an annotation ()
Following the suggestion above I have written to the contact address on the ACPO Police use of Firearms website (http://www.westmercia.police.uk/publicat...) I have asked about the status of the TASER Guidance and have suggested any updated/amended document be published online.
Richard Taylor left an annotation ()
The ACPO Guidance on the Operational Use of TASER was updated in December 2008 to include a new paragraph reflecting the DOMILL committee's recommendations.
It starts from paragraph 12.7 in the guidance available via:
http://www.westmercia.police.uk/about-us...
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Richard Taylor left an annotation ()
More information related to this request is available on my website: http://www.rtaylor.co.uk/all-uk-front-li...