Taser could work but use must be limited

FEW would question the case for Scotland's police to have resort to Taser stun guns where the circumstances merit.

There has been an inexorable rise in the numbers of assaults on police, resulting in lengthy and expensive spells off work to recuperate. But many will share the concerns of Tavish Scott, the Scottish Liberal Democrat leader, that the police may have embarked on a "slippery slope" to generalised issue and use. The public does not wish to see Taser guns becoming a weapon of first resort. They deliver an electric shock to immobilise suspected offenders. When put on trial in England, they were used 600 times in the first year, with 34 children among those "zapped".

The 50,000 volt Taser guns are being issued to a group of 30 officers in a pilot scheme within the Strathclyde Police Authority. The pilot will focus on Cambuslang, Rutherglen and Glasgow city centre – areas that have recorded a higher level of police assaults.

If the police are to secure public confidence in the introduction of Tasers, three requirements will need to be met. The first is that the circumstances of their use is strictly controlled. The second is that police officers are properly trained in their use, even if this means a longer training period than the three days envisaged. And the third is that issuance is strictly confined to trained officers. Assaults on police can and should be reduced. But in return the public will need assurance that the force will not allow resort to a US-style free-for-all.