Tasers Fired in Last 12 Months
Dear Greater Manchester Police
Under FOI please provide the following information:-
1) The number of tasers owned by Greater Manchester Police
2) The number of tasers fired against members of the public in the last 12 months.
Yours faithfully,
Talbot Munce
http://crimebodge.com
Dear Mr Munce
our ref: 4242/12
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Information Compliance & Records Management Unit
From: Talbot Munce <[FOI #129978 email]>
To: FOI requests at Greater Manchester Police
<[Greater Manchester Police request email]>
Date: 14/09/2012 05:40
Subject: Freedom of Information request - Tasers Fired in Last 12 Months
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Dear Greater Manchester Police
Under FOI please provide the following information:-
1) The number of tasers owned by Greater Manchester Police
2) The number of tasers fired against members of the public in the
last 12 months.
Yours faithfully,
Talbot Munce
[1]http://crimebodge.com
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J Roberts left an annotation ()
Independent report explores the potential causes of racial and ethnic disparities in the use of Taser
(Analysis by researchers from Keele University, UCL, The University of Exeter and Staffordshire University)
Key findings from the research suggest:
https://www.keele.ac.uk/about/news/2023/...
The Report:
Taser use and its association with social, ethnic and racial disparities in policing (TASERD)
https://www.keele.ac.uk/kpac/fundedproje...
In the year ending on March 31, 2022, Home Office Statistics record that Tasers were utilised in a total of 34,276 incidents p25
People perceived by the police to be ‘Black or Black British’ were 8.6 times more likely than ‘White’ people to experience Taser during use-of-force incidents. p23
Table 2. Taser usage levels across the force areas p149 (9 police forces)
Drawn - Aimed - Arched - Red-dotted - Fired/angle-drive stun
eg. Fired/angle-drive stun
GMP 741 (14%).....Met 3,178 (9.40%).....West Mercia 89 (5.31%).....Gwent 88 (9.43%).....Bedfordshire 124 (9.99%).....Surrey 181 (8.81%).....West Yorkshire 202 (7.47%).....Hampshire 192 (14.20%).....Derbyshire 103 (9.2%)
Importantly, within the GMP study, analysis indicated that some police-recorded impact factors were themselves affected by ethnicity...For example, the results suggest that threats perceived by police officers due to the sex, size, and build of individuals might be amplified if those individuals are from a Black or Mixed background, and that prior intelligence might be more prevalent or readily available if they were from Black or Mixed background... p16
We also find that, even after controlling for all other factors, officers in the City of Manchester are more likely to use Taser compared to other geographical areas in GMP. p 156
This study relies on data from use of force forms and other auxiliary information provided by GMP.From January 2018 to December 2021, 56,954 cases of use of force were recorded, of which 5,293 (9.4%) referred to Taser. Ethnicity data were missing for the officers in 590 of these cases which amounts to approximately 1% of the sample. 159
Table 9. Proportion of use of force and Taser use across geographical areas (GMP p162)
It is often suggested that BWV audits are an effective way forward regarding scrutiny and research-based analysis of CED use... However, mirroring the experiences of SGMs, the research team encountered acute difficulties accessing BWC footage for a variety of different reasons... However, even in our limited sample we observed several instances where use of Taser appeared to us to be contrary to the guidance provided in Authorised Professional Practice (APP) and training. p11/12
4. We also identified a notable lack of attention to utilising dialogue, or tactical communications, to handle situations of potential conflict, and in terms of de-escalation strategies more broadly. p202
Concerns were also raised about the lack of follow up on IOPC recommendations. As one participant noted:
“When I read the IOPC’s 2021 study I almost wept because it identified everything that went wrong in [his] case. And nothing was learned, and nothing has changed… 36
While it is acknowledged that the duration of Taser training in England and Wales is longer than that in other countries (e.g., in the USA), our study does suggest that current constraints are leading to a series of missed opportunities to develop key skills among STOs.
• The study suggests that, in practice, there is an imbalance in the training towards utilising the weapon in contrast to developing parallel de-escalation skills. The study highlights concerns relating to assessment, relatively permissive guidance, and other issues all of which combine to heighten the risk of creating a ‘push’ towards the use of Taser. p12