PLANS to arm hundreds of police officers across Scotland with Tasers following a huge rise in knife attacks is a positive first step towards alleviating recent safety concerns within the force, it has been claimed.
Rank and file officers can apply to be trained in handing stun guns before they are rolled out across Scotland next summer in a move which will more than double the number currently on the streets.
It is estimated that 500 new trainees will join the 275 specialist firearms officers who currently carry the 50,000-volt weapons.
The move follows a survey which showed that nearly two-thirds of Scotland’s police officers want to have access to a handgun while nine out of ten said they wanted to carry a Taser.
A survey by the Scottish Police Federation (SPF), which represents rank and file officers, found 64 per cent of officers support such a move and comes as around an eighth of the workforce said they believe their existing personal protective equipment (PPE) is “ineffective”.
David Hamilton, vice chairman of the Scottish Police Federation said: “This is a very welcome development and a good start in responding to the concerns expressed by officers in our recent survey.
“Whilst not the panacea to all the threats we face, it does complement existing equipment carried and will lead to safer outcomes for the police, the public and offenders.”
Federation bosses said officers feel “vulnerable and ill-equipped” as they called for change.
Now Police Scotland are exploring ways to arm more officers who will be deployed in cars rather than walking the beat to quickly respond if a colleague needs help.
Communities will be briefed on the reasons behind the tough response under the plans which are expected to be presented to the Scottish Police Authority next month.
There have been 139 reports of Tasers being deployed over the last three and a half years and every time they are used it is reported to the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner.
But human rights lawyer Aamer Anwar said: “The use of Tasers must be restricted and not rolled out just because police want more lethal weapons to use on members of the public.
“Far too often officers have shown they do not have the self control to use such weapons.
“They have used Tasers on those that have posed no risk including pensioners, teenagers and those with mental health problems. Recent deaths have raised serious questions about Tasers.
“The jury is out on what was described as a non-lethal weapon.”
The survey also found that there is “significant under-recording of violence against police officers”, with just over half (51 per cent) admitting they do not record all acts of violence against them.
A Police Scotland spokesman said: “We’ll be presenting a paper to the SPA.”
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