Officer

(Yes that it really is the derivation of the name Taser).

Looking through the Freedom of Information request archive of the Avon & Somerset Constabulary, I found an interesting one about Tasers (device pictured above is a slightly different model than that used in the UK):

1) For each year since Tasers were introduced by the force, how many times:
** Has their use been authorised -
** Have they been deployed -
** Have they been actually fired

I should say up front that I’m quite comfortable with the UK police carrying reduced-lethality weapons. In fact, if it would get sworn officers back on foot patrol I’d sign off the routine carrying of personal firearms by all Constables.

Avon & Somerset Police are currently training another 150 officers to electroshock weapons, for a total of 300 trained staff.

I’d always assumed that Tasers were a bit of a gimmick, but looking through the documents and figures offered in response to the FoI request, I’m surprised to find that they’ve got some compelling features, and offer a subtle suite of options to the police for displaying force and instilling compliance.

With a gunpowder weapon – a pistol – an officer has three visible threat displays: draw, aim, fire. Firing a pistol automatically implies the use of lethal force. A “warning shot” might work in a Western movie, but what goes up must come down, a saying proven by the occasional deaths due to celebratory gunfire in urban areas. “Aiming for the leg” or “Shooting to disarm” are also targeting options that only work in the movies.

These are the figures for Taser use:

A&S Taser usage 2007-2009.

That’s 101 incidents where an officer drew their Taser, 93 incidents where the Taser was drawn and the officer carried out a threat to use force (aim, turn on the red dot, or trigger a visible electric arc on the device), and finally 30 incidents where the Taser was activated (either fired from a distance or applied directly to the subject's body, an act known as a Drive Stun)

The figures for usage categories suggest the A&S’s training is very effective in encouraging a gradual application of force. Only 1 in 9 “service users” were foolhardy or drunk enough to ignore threat displays and face the pain.

And getting Tased is painful. I’ve been CS gassed and that’s bad enough, but the physiological effects of electroshock weapons are almost impossible to overcome, even by someone under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Avon & Somerset’s Chief Inspector Paul Richards said:

"Tasers have proved a useful tactical option for officers faced with threats of violence of such severity that they would need to use force to protect the public, themselves or the offender. In many cases, the presence alone of a Taser can act as a deterrent to offenders, and so it is hoped that many future situations will be resolved without conflict."

Another element of the same FoI request was the ages and genders of those on the receiving end of a Tasing:

The figures are collated on a slightly different basis, so do not match those given for overall deployments, but unsurprisingly 90% of people tased were male, with the age range stretching from teenagers to men in their fifties.

Silly statistic of the day:  People born in 1990 are more likely to be tased by the police. (Personally I blame house music.)

Related Links

• Home Office - Taser Usage Modes
• Association of Chief Police Officers – Taser Operational Guidance.
• Taser Shockwave - TASER Remote Area Denial™ technology

The following document was presented at the full meeting of Bristol City Council on 1st April 2008. It is not - and I have checked - an April Fool's Jape.

Report of the Members' Renumeration Independent Review Panel

[Para 6] Allowance for Leader of the Council

6.1 At its meeting on 19 June 2007 the Full Council accepted the Panel’s recommendation that the Leader’s remuneration package should be no less than £50,000 per annum – to be implemented via a stepped approach over a 4 year period (indexed-linked from 2007/08 values). In order to achieve this recommendation the Panel recommends the following annual increases for the Leader of the Council’s SRA:

• 2008/09 - £10k + indexation year 1 x 25%
• 2009/10 - £10k + indexation years 1- 2 x 50%
• 2010/11 - £10k + indexation years 1- 3 x 75%
• 2011/12 - £10k + indexation years 1- 4 x 100%

Sorry, what was that?

"The Leader's renumeration package should be no less than £50,000 per annum".

Right. So we've just had another inflation busting increase in Council Tax, for which we get our rubbish collected every other week, an average police service, and an achingly PC fire service [who spend 28 pence of every pound they receive on gold-plated public sector pensions]. We're in the middle of a credit crunch, after ten years of profligate tax and spend politics by London government, and with everyone looking to tighten their belts.

Yes, clearly this is the time to give a 25% per year pay rise to someone doing a job that previous generations would have regarded as a bit of part-time voluntary work. Fantastic.

[Para 7] Annual Indexation

7.1 Members of the panel endorse their original recommendation that the following indexation should be applied:

• Basic Allowance, Special Responsibility Allowances, Dependent Carers’ Allowances and Co-optees’ Allowance: index to annual officer pay increase – this percentage increase is nationally negotiated and related to what local government can afford and also treats Officers and Members equally for annual increase in remuneration.
• Mileage Rates: maintain indexation to Approved Mileage Allowance Payment (AMAP or Inland Revenue) rates.
• Subsistence Rates: continue to index to Officer rates, except where relevant elements are booked directly by Members’ Services.

Even better, there is now a formal link between councillors' allowances and the salaries and benefits of council officers in another inflation-happy positive feedback cycle.