/ Deputy Data Protection Officer
MDP Secretariat
Room 126, Building 1070
MDP HQ Wethersfield
Braintree, Essex CM7 4AZ
Email:
By email: / Our Ref: AIT: 23-05-2013-093202-001
RFI: 63/13
Date:6th June 2013

Dear Mr James,

Thank you for your email dated 22nd May 2013. We will treat your request as a request for information in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

In your request you asked for the following information:

  1. How many police officers routinely carry a TASER?

Due to the vast geographical location MDP operate in and the variance in operational tasking, it would not be possible to provide a figure for the number of Ministry of Defence Police Officers (MDP) that routinely carry a Taser.

  1. How many police officers are trained to use a TASER?

There are approximately 700 MDP Officers trained to use a Taser.

  1. Which departments/units (e.g. Dog Section, Firearms Unit)contain officers who routinely carry a TASER?

Tasers are only carried by Authorised Firearms Officers (AFO) within the MDP. They do not fall within defined departments/units.

4.In regard to question 3, how many police officers work in the departments/units and how many police officers carry TASER in the applicable departments/units.

No information held. Please see answer 3 above.

  1. Out of all police officers in Ministry of Defence Police, what is the percentage of police officers who routinely carry a TASER?

It is not possible to be precise as to ‘routinely’ however, currently the percentage of Taser trained Officers in force is approximately 35% against the force total.

  1. Please state the methods in which the TASER is carried by police officers (e.g. belt holster, TAC Vest holster, leg holster)

Dependent upon the operational tasking but predominately leg holster or TAC vest mounted.

  1. What colour is the personal protection vest worn by officers in each applicabale department?

AFO’s predominately wear black uniform.

  1. Does the colour of the TASER in Ministry of Defence Police vary?

No

  1. If yes to question 6, please state the colour variations.

N/A

  1. If no to question 6please state the colours of the TASER used by Ministry of Defence Police (e.g. yellow and black, blue, black)

The colour of the Taser used by the MDP is yellow.

  1. How many TASERs does Ministry of Defence Police currently hold?

178

12.How many times was the TASER used in the following modes in 2012;

a. discharge; - None

b. arced; - None

c. drive-stun; - None

d. red-dot; - One

e. aimed; - None

f. not stated - N/A

13. How many times was the TASER used by each applicable department/unit within Ministry of Defence Police in the following Modes in 2012;

a. discharge;

b. arced;

c. drive-stun;

d. red-dot;

e. aimed;

f. not stated

No information held. Please see question 3.

14. How many police officers are currently employed by Ministry ofDefence Police?

As at 31st May 2013, there are currently 2670 Police Officers employed by the Ministry of Defence Police

If you are not satisfied with this response or wish to complain about any aspect of the handling of your request, then you should contact me in the first instance. If informal resolution is not possible and you are still dissatisfied then you may apply for an independent internal review by contacting the Deputy Chief Information Officer, Information, 2nd Floor, MOD Main Building, Whitehall, London SW1A 2HB (email ). Please note that any request for an internal review must be made within 40 working days of the date on which the attempt to reach informal resolution has come to an end.

If you remain dissatisfied following an internal review, you may take your complaint to the Information Commissioner under the provisions of Section 50 of the Freedom of Information Act. Please note that the Information Commissioner will not investigate the case until the MOD internal review process has been completed. Further details of the role and powers of the Information Commissioner can be found on the Commissioner’s website (

Yours sincerely

Lorraine