Children’s charity voices concerns over rise in use of Taser weapons against children as Hampshire instances increase almost four times

Of the 27 instances where Taser devices were drawn against under 18s, officers fired them on two occasions. Neither of these cases involved children under the age of 11.

In four cases, officers did not record whether the device was fired.

When fired, Tasers are designed to temporarily incapacitate someone by giving them an electric shock. A device can be fired at someone from a distance or held against their body to stun them.

Across the 43 police forces in England and Wales, Taser weapons were used on children on 2,818 occasions last year, up from 1,700 in 2018.

They were fired in 134 cases, none of which involved children under 11. For all instances the age recorded is that perceived by the officer.

The dramatic increase in Taser weapon use has raised concerns for the children's human rights charity Children’s Rights Alliance who described the national increase as ‘alarming’.

The charity’s director, Louise King, said: ‘The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child that monitors the UK's child rights obligations has been very clear that Tasers should be prohibited on children, and yet their use continues to increase at an alarming rate year on year.

‘Even if a Taser is not actually fired, being threatened with one is still extremely frightening for children.’

The figures count the number of times each officer involved in an incident used the device rather than the number of separate incidents or how many children were involved.

Responding to the increase in Taser device incidents with children in Hampshire a spokeswoman for Hampshire Police said: ‘An officer will only use a Taser if there is an immediate risk to life or threat of serious injury to any members of the public or our officers. This is stipulated in our regulations, training and guidance.

‘In the vast majority of cases it is used effectively as a deterrent, preventing conflict and protecting the safety of the public and officers. Taser is only used by qualified officers and we track and assess its use very carefully.’

Last year also saw an increase in the use of spit and bite guards on children with the mesh hoods having to placed on children’s heads on nine occasions in Hampshire compared to five times in 2018.

Across England and Wales they were used 548 times compared to 312 the previous year. The hoods are used to protect an officer from being bitten or spat at.

While the majority of cases involved children aged 11 to 17 there were seven instances nationally which involved under 11s.

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Ms King added: ‘We want the use of Tasers and spit hoods on children to be banned. At the very least, the government must urgently publish clear guidance and training for the police to ensure the use of these devices on under-18s is avoided unless absolutely necessary.’

Overall, officers at Hampshire Constabulary recorded using some form of force on children on 992 occasions last year – 60 per cent of those were for restraint, which can include handcuffing, restraining someone on the ground, or using specialist equipment to reduce the movement of someone’s arms and legs.

The News reported this month how a Taser was used on a man on Kingston Road in North End after reports of a ‘domestic incident’ at one of the properties.

Matt Twist, the National Police Chiefs' Council lead for self-defence and restraint, said force is ‘rarely used in the vast majority of officers’ interactions with the public’.

He added: ‘When it is necessary to use force – for example, when someone poses an immediate danger to others or themselves – it is used proportionately and lawfully.

‘Most commonly, officers only use force to protect themselves from attack, which has been an increasing concern for chiefs in the last year as assaults against officers have increased.’

A Home Office spokesman commented: ‘Our brave police put themselves in harm’s way to protect the public – it is vital they have the equipment and tactics they need to reduce crime and stay safe on the job.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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