NOT PROTECTIVELY MARKEDAgenda Item 9

To:Business Co-ordination Board
From:Chief Constable
Date:28th February 2013
TASER – UPDATE
1. / Purpose
1.1 / The purpose of this paper is to update the Board on the current position withTaser and the collaborated view of scrutiny of Taser usage.
2. / Background
2.1 / On 24 November 2008 the Home Secretary announced that the initial trial of the extension of Taser to Specially Trained Officers (STOs) had been successful and therefore as of 1 January 2009 the extended use of Taser to STOs in all forces was authorised.
2.2 / The Chief Constable submitted an extensive report to the former Police Authority Finance and Resources Committee on 18th January 2012 which covered:
  • The link between Taser use and Human Rights
  • The view of the national Association of Chief Police Officers
  • How Taser works and the impact of Taser on the neuromuscular system
  • Guidance and Law which governed police use of Taser
  • The existing situation in Cambridgeshire
  • The selection and training of officers who could use Taser in the future
  • Cost of extended use
  • Historical use of Taser nationally and within Cambridgeshire
  • Impact of the Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire (BCH) collaboration
This report has been submitted to the PCC as background reading.
3.
3.1 / Scrutiny of Taser – Training
The Armed Policing Unit Firearms Training Centre has responsibility for quality assuring training given to STOs in BCH. This includes the dip samplingof training sessions,by a qualified instructor,to ensure that the national training package is being delivered as required. The Chief Firearms Instructor holds Taser standardisation training meetings with Learning and Development to ensure that training is of an equally high standard in each Force and also to consider recommendations for changes.
4. / Recording Use of Taser/Monitoring
4.1 / The Command and Control Incident log for spontaneous deployments will be used to record authorisations and decision making rationale for the deployment of Taser officers. In pre-planned operations, supporting decision making and rationale for the deployment must be recorded using the National Decision Model in any associated policy log.
4.2 / Taser trained officers will be able to ‘self-authorise’ for Taser when they suddenly encounter a situation fitting the criteria to deploy. It will be the Taser trained officer’s responsibility to inform a local supervisor as soon as practicable after any such deployment and use and ensure actions for Post Incident Management are completed.
4.3 / The Taser data is downloaded on to force systems
  • After every operational discharge
  • Any negligent or unintentional discharge
  • After monthly function check
To provide an audit trail for the deployment of Taser in Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire STO’s will record details on the Firearms and Taser Authorisation Database due to be introduced to all forces in April 2013 and currently in use with Hertfordshire.
4.4 / After any ‘use’ a ‘use of force form’ and a Taser Deployment Form must be completed and sent to the relevant force’s Learning and Development Department and to the Joint Armed Policing Unit Firearms Training Centre.
The Firearms Training Centre administrator collates all of the Taser reports submitted and reviews them for any issues that need further scrutiny. Where this is necessary the incident is referred to the Chief Firearms Instructor for quality assurance. Reports on Taser discharges are submitted to the Home Office.
4.5 / A monthly report is supplied to the Head of BCH Joint Uniform Protective Services which covers the deployment of firearms and Taser for Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire. This covers AFO’s and STO’s and will be extended to Cambridgeshire on 2nd April 2013. This report allows trends to be identified for authorisations, self arming, drawn, aimed, red dot and discharged Tasers.
4.6 / Taser is justified via the Firearms Strategic Threat and Risk Assessment (FSTRA). The FSTRA is completed annually and reviewed six monthly at the BCH Joint Firearms SteeringGroup. This makes recommendations on deployment and use, training and locations for Taser bases.
4.7 / The Joint Firearms Steering Group is the three force decision making body which reviews incidents for best practice and makes and applies operational decisions across the forces. This group is chaired by the Chief Superintendent Head of Uniform Protective Services.
4.8 / The Joint Protective Services Command take a holistic view across the strategic alliance in order to harmonise and standardise policy and procedure and provide quality assurance in relation to training standards, review of authorities, deployments and use in line with criteria and to provide reports and updates as required to both the Chief Constable and PCC.
5. / Recommendation
5.1 / The Board is invited to note the report and consider future monitoring for use of Taser.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Source Document (s) / Contact Officer / Location
Ch Supt Nigel Trippett
01480 422657 / Cambridgeshire Constabulary
HinchingbrookePark,
Huntingdon, Cambs,
PE29 6NP.

Business Coordination BoardAgenda Item 9

28 February 2013Page 1 of 3