Following a national newspaper story on the introduction of the use of stun guns for Special Constables, I wrote to Haringey’s Borough Commander to raise questions about what this meant for day-to-day policing in Hornsey & Wood Green.  I received this response:

“The MPS are considering the details of this Home Office announcement before making an operational decision. We know that how we use policing powers such as these, is critical to the trust and confidence you and our communities have in us so we would like to reassure you that we will carefully consider the announcement through this lens and will continue to involve our communities in shaping both our approach to how we use our powers, our training, and reviewing incidents where we have had to use tactics.

It may help you to know that statistics show that in 90% of cases, Taser is not discharged, and can resolve a situation simply by its presence – that is preferable to any force having to be used at all. Taser as one standalone piece of equipment is not a solution to every problem and de-escalation is always preferential in confrontational circumstances.

It also seems like a good time to draw your attention to the recently announced reductions in the Met’s use of force. We’ve been working hard to improve officers’ interactions with the public and this has resulted in an 11% reduction in the use of force during regular encounters comparing the calendar years of 2021 to 2020.”