Long range Tasers to zap Queenslanders instead of lead
Ammunition manufacturer Winchester will have to scale back its Australian supply if all police departments start using long range lasers.
Their supply of .40 cal Glock ammo to police should slowly dry up after these new, deadly Tasers are deployed.
Maybe there will be fewer unlucky citizens shot with firearms by the inaccurate shooters of general police.
Queensland Labor is funding the rollout of world leading taser technology to front line officers in the Queensland Police Service.
It will mean Queensland will become the largest police jurisdiction in the world to be equipped with this technology.
Queensland Labor is providing the QPS with funding of $8.5 million over three years to purchase 1,000 Taser 10 devices.
This commitment also ensures that all tasers retired from service moving forward will be replaced with the Taser 10 technology.
The Taser 10 deliver a significant increase (more than double the existing capability) in its functional distance out to a range of 13.5 meters.
The Taser is also far more accurate than existing technologies used by Queensland Police and also does not need to be reloaded to fire multiple shots.
This greatly reduces the need for police to escalate to a lethal use of force option.
In instances where persons of interest are outside the limited range of the current taser fleet, Police will typically and necessarily present firearms to de-escalate or resolve the incident.
The Taser 10 extends the use of taser out to a far greater range, which will lessen the need for presentation, and critically use, of lethal force in a wide number of incident types.
Police advise the Taser 10 will save lives, reduce trauma for attending police and reduce trauma for involved persons families.
Prolonged and multiple discharges
ALMOST half of the people tasered by Queensland police are subjected to “prolonged or multiple” discharges, prompting calls for greater scrutiny of how the devices are used.
The debate comes as the Brisbane Coroners Court is set to release its findings over the death of a north Queensland man after he was allegedly tasered 28 times.
Queensland police use Tasers more than 30 times a month, according to the Crime and Misconduct Commission, but the police union says the devices save lives and are integral to law enforcement.
“Our latest recommendation seeks to improve Queensland Police Service policy and training in this area,” CMC research and evaluation director Rebecca Denning told the Australian Public Sector Anti-Corruption Conference last week.
“The CMC is also very keen to see QPS make further improvements to Taser monitoring and review processes.
“Unfortunately the existing processes tend to rely almost exclusively on the reporting officer’s version of events.”
Ms Denning said information should also be sought from other police who attended the scene where a Taser was used, civilian witnesses and CCTV footage if available.
The use of Tasers was widely debated at the conference attended by senior police, government and anti-corruption agencies held in Fremantle.
It was agreed they were here to stay, but better policy and guidelines for use were necessary.
“It remains that 40 per cent of all subjects who had a Taser deployed against them were the subject of either a multiple or a prolonged discharge,” Ms Denning said.
“International research suggests that multiple or prolonged deployments may increase the risk of a subject suffering an injury or adverse health consequences.
“Approximately 4 per cent of subjects of Taser deployment was suspected of having a physical health condition, 17 per cent was suspected of having a mental health condition and just under 80 per cent was suspected of being under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol.”
Queensland Police Union president Ian Leavers said Tasers had saved “many lives” in Queensland.
“There seems to be a misconception in the community that police like to inflict pain – that is not the case,” he said. “Use of force is a last resort.”
QPS policy stipulates that Tasers should only be used when a person poses either a risk of serious injury to police, another person or themselves. -News Ltd
Source: https://cairnsnews.org/2024/05/02/long-range-tasers-to-zap-queenslanders-instead-of-lead/
