Legal News

New figures obtained under a Freedom of Information request have revealed that the Metropolitan Police have aimed Tasers at suspects as young as 13 –and also people over the age of 80.

The figures relate to the period 2013 and 2014 and show that the Met Police used Tasers in a total of 4,015 incidents in 2013 and 2014 – and fired them on 503 occasions.

Targets tasers were fired at include two children aged 14 – and Tasers were aimed at but not fired in incidents involving 13 children aged 13 or 14.

Police also fired at 11 people over the age of 60 – and aimed at a further 29 people over 60, including two 85-year-olds.

The Met Police say that the most recent Home Office data shows that there has actually been an 11.7% reduction in the use of Tasers, however.

Figures relating from October 2014 show that Tasers were fired in 922 incidents between January and June 2014. In July to December 2013, the figure stood at 1,124 incidents.

The Evening Standard newspaper reports that Conservatives at City Hall have said the use of Tasers on children and the elderly is “questionable”.

Conservative London Assembly Members have called on the Met Police to use body cameras connected to Tasers, to record the details of incidents to protect the most vulnerable members of the public – such as mental health patients whose behaviour might be misinterpreted by police officers when assessing a situation.

Body cameras are activated automatically when a Taser is removed from its holster, to record the run up to an incident in which it might be fired.

City Hall’s Conservative leader Andrew Boff said:

“Wielded by a trained officer in an incident, they can help reduce harm to bystanders, the police – and even the person being fired on.

“But, without context, the use of a Taser is questionable on elderly people or kids as young as 14 – which is why the Met should invest in technologies that would remove ‘grey areas’.”

London Mayor Boris Johnson said:

“Nobody wants to see Tasers used excessively – but they can be an important technique in stopping situations from getting out of control.

“I’m sure there are many cases where they’ve saved injury – and even life,” he added.

Mr Johnson also said that the use of Tasers against two 14-year-olds was “not excessive” in the wider drive to reduce crime.

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