Clarification on Taser Arming
Dear North Wales Police,
North Wales Police recently won a bid of £137,775 from the UK government to fund 167
new tasers. Past FOI disclosures indicate that NWP planned to have a total of approx. 426 officers trained in the use of Tasers by March 2020.
• Was the training target for March 2020 reached? If not, can you confirm the number of NWP officers that have received Taser training?
• What is the ratio of Tasers to officers – Does every trained officer have their own device?
o If so, does that mean that the new round of funding takes NWP to 593 officers with Tasers?
o If not, can you clarify how many Taser devices NWP do stock?
A 2019 blog post on the International Police Association website by a North Wales Police officer talks about attending an Axon Master Instructor course (see below).
https://www.ipa-uk.org/News/master-instr...
Could you confirm how many NWP officers have completed this course to date? What are the roles and responsibilities of serving officers(if any) who have completed this training? Are they paid by NWP or Axon/TI to carry out instructor duties?
If no serving NWP officers have completed the Master Instructor course, could you clarify who delivers Taser training for your officers? Are they external trainers (e.g. Axon employees)? Are they police officers from other forces within Wales/England who have completed the Master Instructor course? If the latter, please confirm from which force the trainer originates.
What support, if any, is offered to NWP by Axon/Taser Int. after an adverse Taser incident? (e.g where a complaint is made and/or a person suffers health complications after being Tasered)
Could you confirm what measures, training and/or guidance (if any) are currently in place to prevent over-reliance on stun guns by NWP when responding to mental health crises?
Yours faithfully,
Rebecca Wilks
Dear Rebecca Wilks,
Enquiry Ref: 2021/797
I acknowledge receipt of your Freedom of Information request.
As set out by the Freedom of Information Act, it will be our aim to
respond to your request by 27/09/2021.
If you have any questions regarding your request, please contact me.
Yours sincerely,
P.P. Megan Rutledge
Swyddog Hawliau Gwybodaeth |
Information Rights Officer
[1]cid:image001.png@01D6F4C1.B1ADEF40
Safonau Gwybodaeth a Chydymffurfio |
Information Standards & Compliance
Heddlu Gogledd Cymru | North Wales
Police
[2]cid:image002.png@01D736A2.4D106180
Rydym yn croesawu gohebiaeth yn y Gymraeg a’r Saesneg – byddwn yn ymateb yn
gyfartal i’r ddau ac yn ateb yn eich dewis iaith heb oedi.
We welcome correspondence in Welsh and English – we will respond equally to
both and will reply in your language of choice without delay.
Please note: we will process your personal data (i.e. your name, address,
email address, your request etc.) to record and respond to your freedom of
information request/s and provide cross-government advice, support and
co-ordination in responding to freedom of information requests. This data
will be held for two years, plus the current year.
[3]https://www.northwales.police.uk/hyg/fpn...
References
Visible links
3. https://www.northwales.police.uk/hyg/fpn...
Dear Rebecca Wilks,
Our Ref; 2021/797
Please note: this is not your final response, but a notice of extension.
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) obliges us to respond to requests
promptly and no later than 20 working days after receipt.
When dealing with Freedom of Information requests we must firstly consider
whether we can comply with S1 (1) (a) of the Act (which is our duty to
confirm whether or not the information requested is held); and secondly we
must comply with S1 (1) (b) (which is the provision of such information).
However, when a qualified exemption applies to either the confirmation or
denial of whether information is held (and the public interest test is
engaged), the Act allows the time for response to be longer than 20 days.
In relation to your Freedom of Information request it is the case that we
have not yet reached a decision on where the balance of the
public interest test lies in respect of either of the above obligations
(S1 (1) (A) and (S1 (1)(b)).
The specific exemption which applies in relation to your request is
Section 31(1) Law Enforcement which is a qualified and prejudiced-based
exemption. Even though it is our intention to carry out a public interest
test (and update you with the resulting decision in due course); because
the initial 20 days has been exceeded there is a requirement to provide a
refusal notice covering this time period.
Therefore, in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000, this
letter acts as a Refusal Notice under section 17 (2)(b) of the
legislation.
We estimate that it will take an additional 4 working days to take a
decision on where this balance lies. Therefore, we plan to let you have
your final response by 01/10/2021.
Yours sincerely,
Safonau Gwybodaeth a Chydymffurfio |
Information Standards & Compliance
[1]cid:image001.png@01D6F4C1.B1ADEF40 Heddlu Gogledd Cymru | North Wales
Police
[2]cid:image002.png@01D7369B.30A06DD0
Rydym yn croesawu gohebiaeth yn y Gymraeg a’r Saesneg – byddwn yn ymateb yn
gyfartal i’r ddau ac yn ateb yn eich dewis iaith heb oedi.
We welcome correspondence in Welsh and English – we will respond equally to
both and will reply in your language of choice without delay.
References
Visible links
Dear Rebecca Wilks,
In response to your recent request for information, please find attached
our reply.
I have also attached a copy of our review procedure should you not be
happy with our response.
Regards,
Megan Rutledge
Swyddog Hawliau Gwybodaeth |
Information Rights Officer
[1]cid:image001.png@01D6F4C1.B1ADEF40
Safonau Gwybodaeth a
Chydymffurfio | Information
Standards & Compliance
Heddlu Gogledd Cymru | North
Wales Police
Rydym yn croesawu gohebiaeth yn y Gymraeg a’r Saesneg – byddwn yn ymateb
yn gyfartal i’r ddau ac yn ateb yn eich dewis iaith heb oedi.
We welcome correspondence in Welsh and English – we will respond equally
to both and will reply in your language of choice without delay.
Oeddech chi’n gwybod bod modd i chi gael mynediad i wybodaeth am Heddlu
Gogledd Cymru drwy Gynllun Cyhoeddi a Log Datgeliadau Heddlu Gogledd
Cymru? Mae’r ddau ar gael drwy’r dolenni cyswllt isod:
Did you know you can access information about North Wales Police via the
North Wales Police Publication Scheme and the North Wales Police
Disclosure Log? Both are available via the below links:
[2]https://www.northwales.police.uk/cy-GB/f...
[3]https://www.northwales.police.uk/foi-ai/...
References
Visible links
2. https://www.northwales.police.uk/cy-GB/f...
3. https://www.northwales.police.uk/foi-ai/...
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