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UK Police Scientists Testing TASER Crossed with Shotgun

The Guardian has reported that UK Police may be issued with new high-power Taser. And article in the Register has reported a Home Office spokesman has having said: “The Home Office Scientific Development Branch are considering it as part of their ongoing remit to evaluate new less lethal technologies.”

The TASER website describes the new weapon:

The TASER® XREP™ is a self-contained, wireless electronic control device (ECD), that deploys from a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun. It delivers a similar Neuro Muscular Incapacitation (NMI) bio-effect as our handheld TASER® X26™ ECD, but can be delivered to a maximum effective range of 100 feet (30.48 meters), combining blunt impact force. The battery supply is fully integrated into the chassis and provides the power to drive the XREP projectile engine.

…

On impact, the forward facing barbed electrodes attach to the body of the target. The energy from the impact breaks a series of fracture pins that release the main chassis of the XREP projectile which remains connected to the nose by a nonconductive tether. The XREP projectile autonomously generates NMI for 20 continuous seconds. As the chassis falls away, six Cholla electrodes automatically deploy to deliver the NMI effect over a greater body mass.

A promotional video for the new weapon can be seen TASER Inc’s website

This entry was posted on Friday, September 11th, 2009 at 9:57 pm and is filed under taser. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

4 Responses to “UK Police Scientists Testing TASER Crossed with Shotgun”

  1. Richard Says:
    September 18th, 2009 at 3:32 am

    I have asked the Home Office how many of these weapons they have, and how they are evaluating them:

    http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/evaluation_of_taser_devices

    I asked about any work relating to some other TASER products too.

  2. Richard Says:
    July 13th, 2010 at 5:40 pm

    My FOI request has been responded to. With respect to the shotgun TASER it stated:

    HOSDB has ordered 5 of the current XREP Cartridges and one X12 shotgun for limited evaluation. HOSDB has entered into a tripartite assessment programme with the National Institute of Justice in the US and the Canadian Police Research Centre in Canada to jointly fund an independent assessment of XREP by Wayne State University. An assessment of TASER International’s initial design (later classed as a prototype) was carried out in February 2008 and presented at the European Working Group on Non-Lethal Weapons conference held in Ettlingen, Germany in May 2008. TASER International has re-launched the XREP at their own conference this year after making a number of improvements and the rounds are due to be re-assessed by Wayne State University in the Autumn. If this assessment is promising a more detailed assessment programme to identify and address any possible medical implications of use would be developed and undertaken.

    http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/evaluation_of_taser_devices#incoming-58648

  3. Richard Says:
    July 13th, 2010 at 5:41 pm

    Sean O’Neill, Crime Editor of The Times has tweeted to say:

    Shotgun Taser fired at Raoul Moat was on trial and not Home Office approved

    http://twitter.com/TimesCrime/status/18434415297

  4. Richard Says:
    July 13th, 2010 at 5:51 pm

    Sky news is reporting:

    The Independent Police Complaints Commission is investigating the incident, and confirmed that two XREP shotguns were used by police.

    Sky’s home affairs correspondent Mark White said the controversial weapon is currently being trialled by police, and the only force he knows to be using it is Northumbria, but there may be others.

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