Sussex PCC Katy Bourne has been successful in her bid, to the Home Office, to equip more officers across Sussex and Surrey with Tasers.

A total of £462,000 has been awarded to fund 560 devices between both Forces. This will mean an extra 291 new Tasers for Sussex Police which currently has around 812 available, bringing the total to more than 1,100. Both Forces can now achieve their ambition of making Tasers available for any police officer who wants one, which is estimated to become 80% 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% rise locally in just the last year.

YesterdayPCC Katy Bourne visited the Kingstanding Training Centre for herself to meet officers on their first day of Taser training and find out how senior officers ensure any usage is proportionate, lawful and accountable.

Mrs Bourne comments:

“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.”

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.”

Government announcement: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/forces-awarded-extra-funding-for-taser