Sussex Police is to equip more officers with tasers after a successful bid for Home Office funds, the police and crime commissioner said today (Monday 2 March).
Katy Bourne said that a joint bid with Surrey had been awarded £462,000 to fund 560 tasers and 291 of those would be for Sussex officers.
The force currently has 812 tasers and will have more than 1,100 as a result of the new funding.
Sussex Police said: “Both forces can now achieve their ambition of making tasers available for any police officer who wants one, which is estimated to become 80 per cent of the frontline.
“They will act first and foremost as a deterrent to criminals who wish to cause harm to themselves or others and will hopefully aid in the reduction of assaults and abuse towards officers, which has seen a 13 per cent rise locally in just the last year.”
Mrs Bourne visited Sussex Police’s Kingstanding Training Centre to meet officers on their first day of taser training and find out how senior officers ensure any use is proportionate, lawful and accountable.
She said: “I wholeheartedly back the chief’s decision to make tasers available for Sussex police officers who want to carry one and I’m delighted that we have been successful in our bid to the Home Office to make this a reality.
“We can now better protect those who put themselves at risk every day to keep us all safe.
“Seeing the robust training in action for myself today, I’m confident in the fact that officers will only use these devices if absolutely necessary, when other de-escalation tactics fail and, when they have to, they will do so safely for all involved.”
Sussex Police said: “Carrying a taser is just one of a number of tactical options available to police officers when dealing with an incident where there is potential for conflict.”
Chief Inspector Simon Starns said: “We welcome the additional funding for tasers. Increasing the number of non-firearms officers carrying taser across the county is critical to keeping our officers, suspects and members of the public safe.
“Our taser training for staff is some of the most comprehensive in the country but we are not complacent.
“Each incident where a taser is drawn or used is reviewed by a senior officer and we monitor any developing trends in taser usage.”
To see the government announcement, click here https://www.gov.uk/government/news/forces-awarded-extra-funding-for-taser.
