£10m funding boost to equip more frontline police with Tasers

27 September 2019, 18:53

The Government is giving police forces in the UK £10 million to equip more officers with Tasers in a move to "keep themselves safe on the job".

The extra funding is enough to equip and train up to 10,000 more police officers with the devices to help “protect themselves and the public from harm.”

The move by the Home Office follows a series of attacks on police officers. According to Home Office statistics, such assaults are on the increase.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said: "I’ve been completely appalled by the recent spate of serious assaults on police officers, which is why I’m giving chief constables the resources to dramatically increase the number of their officers who carry tasers.

"They keep us safe and now I’m giving them what they need to keep themselves safe on the job."

A recent Police Federation of England and Wales survey found 94% of officers think Tasers should be issued to more frontline staff.

LBC's Nick Ferrari has started the "Time For Tasers" campaign following the rise of attacks against police officers.

Nick Ferrari said: “This is fantastic news; not for me but the brave men and women who put their lives on the line every minute of every hour of every day to keep us safe. Now we can help protect those who protect us.

Officers have to be specially-trained to use Tasers and Chief Constables decide how many should carry the devices, based on assessments of threat and risk in their force areas.