Taser supply cut under torture laws

Guernsey Police may no longer be able to use Tasers as the UK cannot permit guns or ammunition to be imported under torture laws.
The UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has said the devices cannot be exported outside of the EU as under current legislation they constitute ‘prohibited weapons’ under the Firearms Act.
The UK Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has said it is working to help the country put forward arguments to appropriate ministers in the UK.
The Taser equipment was first acquired by Guernsey’s Home Department in 2006, but because it is a Crown Dependency, Guernsey is not part of the UK or the EU.
This has forced the FCO to rule that the island cannot buy more Taser supplies from the UK. Neither can it purchase them from another country as that would require a licence from UK authorities.
Guernsey Police said it is a “very difficult predicament” and Home Minister Geoff Mahy said he intends to write to the UK Government asking if the Channel Islands could be considered as a “special case”.
The MoJ, which is responsible for relations between the Crown Dependencies and the UK, said it is continuing to work with other UK departments to ensure the Channel Islands could put their arguments before appropriate ministers and have them fully considered.
Concerns have been raised in fellow Crown Dependency, Jersey, regarding an increase in violence and the use of knives on the island.
Acting Chief Officer David Warcup said although the number of assaults in Jersey has remained similar to previous years, the level of violence is getting worse.
A more visible police presence and utilising “stop and search” powers would help tackle violent crime, he said, but the reasons why more people are carrying knives also needs to be addressed.