Police officers in Lincolnshire have pulled out their tasers on more young people than any other force in the region over the last two years – but force bosses have defended their use.
The police have drawn their tasers on 16 occasions in 2015 to September 2016, firing them twice against someone under the age of 18, according to a Freedom of Information request.
However, Chief Inspector Mark Garthwaite said age is a consideration when using a taser and insists the force used is always proportionate to the threat officers’ face.
He said: “When we’re dealing with people under the age of 18 that fact is taken into account, bearing in mind a lot of the time we don’t know.
“If somebody is facing me with a knife I’m not going to ask their age first. But if it is obvious, then yes it is something we would clearly take into account.”
Figures show that in 2015, Lincolnshire Police drew their tasers – which counts as a use, a total of 11 times in 2015, firing them once.
Up to September in 2016, that figure stands at five uses with one taser being discharged.
Nottinghamshire Police has used tasers six times in the two years, Leicestershire Police seven times and Northamptonshire 13 times between 2015 and September 2016 – none of them fired their tasers.
The Chief Inspector states that the figure for taser use is higher, simply because Lincolnshire has the most Taser trained officers in the country, with over 20 per cent of regular constables being taser trained.
“The everyday police officer – the blue light drivers are trained. That’s because geographically we’re a huge force with very small numbers of staff, and our chief constable, considers that in order to protect his staff that it’s the right thing to do – to have a more available Taser asset.”
In one incident this year, taser trained officers’ from Lincolnshire were deployed to deal with two 15-year-old’s at a Juvenile Detention Centre who were ‘threatening staff, smashing furniture to use as weapons’.
“Officers were deployed to the scene with taser, they saw what was going on and were receiving threats themselves. They drew their tasers – which counts as the use.
“The juveniles then calmed down and were restrained without any firing of the taser – it wasn’t even pointed at them and the red dot was not switched on”, said the Chief Inspector.
He added: “We had a perfectly peaceful, resolved situation.”
One children’s charity – Children’s Rights Alliance for England, however are calling for an end to the use of Tasers maintaining that even brandishing one can “cause immense fear and distress.”
One 17-year old man, who witnessed his teenage friend tasered by police in the South East of England, said: “I just saw the little dot there and….I just went all warm, scared.
“I thought I’m going to get hurt now. I’m going to get a shock in a minute. They just stunned him and he was flopped on the floor. But the noise is mad. I don’t like it, it scares me – the noise.”
To the chief inspector’s knowledge none of the incidents involving young people and tasers in 2015-16 have been referred to the Police Complaint’s Commission
