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UK police used Tasers on children more than 80 times in 6 years
According to the Home Office statistics, officers threatened children with Tasers on 144 occasions in 2010 - compared with 21 times in 2007.
Were these great, hulking eighteen-year old yobs on rampages, or dear little kindergartners just learning to lisp their ABCs? Because I have no problem if the police work to get the attention of the yobs.
They actually fired the weapons during one in five incidents, though on most occasions the youngsters were just targeted with a red laser dot from the gun.

Amnesty International, the human rights group, called for the use of Tasers on children and vulnerable people to be "avoided in all circumstances", over fears they can trigger health problems.

However, Lord Taylor of Holbeach, a Home Office minister, said the guns are only used in violent situations, as he revealed the new figures to Baroness Stern, a crossbench peer, in answer to a question in the House of Lords.

"Taser is only deployed where there is a serious threat of violence and by officers who have been carefully selected and trained in its use," he said.

Police have access to around 12,000 Tasers but there were calls for their use to be greatly extended as officers struggled to cope during the riots of 2011.

Paul Davis, responsible for firearms policy on the Police Federation, said that "most if not all frontline officers" should be given access to Tasers, which he described as "less lethal" devices.

Posted by: lotp 2012-12-25
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=358669