Police warned not to fire Tasers at suspects' chests in case of heart attacks
starofcctv | 15.10.2009 16:23 | Repression
Police officers have been warned not to fire their Taser guns at suspects' chests - in case it gives them a heart attack.
Last updated at 5:04 PM on 15th October 2009
Police officers have been warned not to fire their Taser guns at suspects' chests - in case it gives them a heart attack.
Instead, they been advised to shoot them in the back.
Chiefs at Taser International, which supply the weapons to UK police forces, have issued new guidance procedures.
Warning shot: Police have told that shooting Taser guns at suspects' chests could give them a heart attack and kill them
Former Home secretary Jacqui Smith announced plans last year to arm forces in England and Wales with 10,000 of the guns - which have a range of 25ft and send out a barb which delivers a 50,000 volt shock.
Many police forces have resisted submitting requests for more guns for frontline officers, including the Metropoltan Police and Sussex Police.
But it can be revealed today that the Home Office, now headed by Alan Johnson, is considering implementing Taser International's new guidelines after consulting with medical chiefs and police chiefs.
More...Revealed: Britain's most prolific police officer (who's made 1,000 arrests in 18 months)
The new guidelines state: 'We have lowered the recommended point of aim from the center of mass to the lower centre of mass for frontal discharges.
'Officers should avoid chest shots where possible.
'Should sudden cardiac arrest occur in a scenario involving a Taser discharge to the chest area - it would place the law enforcement agency, the officer, and Taser International in the difficult situation of trying to ascertain what role, if any, the Taser could have played in an unique situation that cannot be replicated in human clinical safety evaluations.'
The guidelines add that the risk of death from Taser is 'extremely low', but that back shots 'remain the preferred area when practical'.
Enlarge Police officers train using Taser guns at the Metropolitan Police Specialist Training Centre, in Gravesend, Kent
The most recent Taser advice issued by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) stated that 'ordinarily the Taser should be aimed to strike the body mass below the neck' - meaning direct shots to the chest are not yet ruled out.
A Home Office spokesman said today it was 'considering' the new advice on the use of Taser.
He said: 'We are considering Taser International's revised guidance with ACPO.
'Any changes to ACPO guidance and training would be run through our normal robust review procedure taking into account advice from independent medical advisors.'
He added: 'The UK has a robust system in place to monitor operational effectiveness and medical implications of Tasers.
'Every use is recorded and made available to independent medical advisors.
'The latest advice from independent medical advisors based on that data and the use of Tasers in accordance to current ACPO guidance and training is that the risk of death or serious injury is very low.'
A spokesman for ACPO told Police Review today: 'ACPO guidance is reviewed regularly and any manufacturer's guidance would be taken into account as part of this process.'
One officer, who has worked for Metropolitan Police for the past five years, said the new guidelines would mean officers would be even more reluctant to fire the weapon.
He said: 'Taser is obviously a better weapon to take someone down without killing them, but if we are now being told we have to avoid shooting suspects in the chest then I'm sure a lot of officers will be more reluctant to use them in the future.'
Read more:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1220554/Police-warned-firing-Taser-guns-suspects-chests-heart-attack.html#ixzz0U1R9vkRu
Police officers have been warned not to fire their Taser guns at suspects' chests - in case it gives them a heart attack.
Instead, they been advised to shoot them in the back.
Chiefs at Taser International, which supply the weapons to UK police forces, have issued new guidance procedures.
Warning shot: Police have told that shooting Taser guns at suspects' chests could give them a heart attack and kill them
Former Home secretary Jacqui Smith announced plans last year to arm forces in England and Wales with 10,000 of the guns - which have a range of 25ft and send out a barb which delivers a 50,000 volt shock.
Many police forces have resisted submitting requests for more guns for frontline officers, including the Metropoltan Police and Sussex Police.
But it can be revealed today that the Home Office, now headed by Alan Johnson, is considering implementing Taser International's new guidelines after consulting with medical chiefs and police chiefs.
More...Revealed: Britain's most prolific police officer (who's made 1,000 arrests in 18 months)
The new guidelines state: 'We have lowered the recommended point of aim from the center of mass to the lower centre of mass for frontal discharges.
'Officers should avoid chest shots where possible.
'Should sudden cardiac arrest occur in a scenario involving a Taser discharge to the chest area - it would place the law enforcement agency, the officer, and Taser International in the difficult situation of trying to ascertain what role, if any, the Taser could have played in an unique situation that cannot be replicated in human clinical safety evaluations.'
The guidelines add that the risk of death from Taser is 'extremely low', but that back shots 'remain the preferred area when practical'.
Enlarge Police officers train using Taser guns at the Metropolitan Police Specialist Training Centre, in Gravesend, Kent
The most recent Taser advice issued by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) stated that 'ordinarily the Taser should be aimed to strike the body mass below the neck' - meaning direct shots to the chest are not yet ruled out.
A Home Office spokesman said today it was 'considering' the new advice on the use of Taser.
He said: 'We are considering Taser International's revised guidance with ACPO.
'Any changes to ACPO guidance and training would be run through our normal robust review procedure taking into account advice from independent medical advisors.'
He added: 'The UK has a robust system in place to monitor operational effectiveness and medical implications of Tasers.
'Every use is recorded and made available to independent medical advisors.
'The latest advice from independent medical advisors based on that data and the use of Tasers in accordance to current ACPO guidance and training is that the risk of death or serious injury is very low.'
A spokesman for ACPO told Police Review today: 'ACPO guidance is reviewed regularly and any manufacturer's guidance would be taken into account as part of this process.'
One officer, who has worked for Metropolitan Police for the past five years, said the new guidelines would mean officers would be even more reluctant to fire the weapon.
He said: 'Taser is obviously a better weapon to take someone down without killing them, but if we are now being told we have to avoid shooting suspects in the chest then I'm sure a lot of officers will be more reluctant to use them in the future.'
Read more:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1220554/Police-warned-firing-Taser-guns-suspects-chests-heart-attack.html#ixzz0U1R9vkRu
starofcctv
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why?
15.10.2009 21:46
Also why the extra "news" that one cop has 1000 arrests in a year? I mean why is this, to you, news?
by posting them together are you infering that this has something to do with each other?
item 1. Police and users of TASER advised to avoid chest shots if possible,due to very small chance that it could increase the chance of heart attacks.
item 2. A cop, like him or not, I dont care, has arrested 1000 people in a year, works in Ipswich and by the sounds of the original artical, dosnt have much of a home life. So what, what is your point?
anon