Atkinson case prompts calls for restrictions on Taser use
A member of the independent advisory group to the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) lead on Tasers has called for the devices to be issued only to specialist officers, despite an increasing number of forces making them available to all those on the front line.
Oliver Feeley-Smith made the comments following the news that West Mercia Police officer Benjamin Monk has been found guilty of manslaughter in relation to the 2016 death of the former professional footballer Dalian Atkinson.
The officer had discharged his weapon eight times for a total of more than 80 seconds using three Taser cartridges. The final discharge lasted 33 seconds – six times longer than is standard.
Mr Feeley-Sprague, Amnesty International UK’s policing expert, said: “This distressing case must be a major wake-up call over how Tasers are being used and abused by the police. The multiple and sustained Taser shocks used against Dalian Atkinson were part of a toxic cocktail of abusive and discriminatory policing.
“Appallingly, you are eight times more likely to have a police Taser used against you if you are black, while people suffering from mental health distress are also disproportionately likely to be Tasered rather than responded to in less violent ways.
“Tasers are potentially lethal weapons – linked to hundreds of deaths in the US and a growing number in Britain – and we’ve always said that UK police forces needed to restrict their use to highly-trained specialist officers.
“There has been enormous mission creep with Taser use in this country, with senior police voices now openly calling for the weapon to be seen as routine equipment carried by all officers. We urgently need a full review of police use of these dangerous devices and confirmation that Tasers will remain specialist weapons, limited for use in specific genuinely dangerous situations.
“Dalian Atkinson’s tragic death must become a watershed moment for policing, where our police forces show that black lives do really matter to them.”
Mr Feeley-Smith’s views are in opposition with the majority of those in the policing world who say there are many examples where Tasers have saved officers or members of the public from serious injury or death. John Apter, national chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales, said: “Taser is an essential piece of equipment which keeps our members and public safe. I feel strongly all officers who want to carry it should be able to do so.”
