IPCC to Require Referral of All TASER Complaints
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) have announced that all TASER related complaints are to be automatically referred to them from June 2009.
From the introduction of TASER to the UK in 2003 the Police Complaints Authority and later the IPCC reviewed all incidents during which a TASER was discharged. That’s not all complaints, that’s all discharges. In May 2005 this was dropped as the volume was becoming to great for the IPCC to handle, from then only those incidents causing death or serious injury, or those revealing command issues or exposing the public to unacceptable risk were referred.
In late 2007 the trial deployment of TASER to non-firearms police began, and the IPCC asked again for all public complaints relating to that trial to be referred to them. Following the completion of this trial this requirement was dropped. The expansion of TASER use to all front-line response police in the UK was announced in November 2008.
I welcome this step by the IPCC as it will ensure that there is greater oversight of the use of TASER by UK police.
