We’re giving police officers Tasers to combat assault
Senseless violence has blighted our streets for far too long.
Over recent weeks, we have seen police officers attacked while simply doing their jobs. And tragically, one police officer was killed in the line of duty.
This is not new: officers were attacked over 30,000 times last year, with 10,000 of those attacks causing injuries. This has to stop.
So we’re putting in place plans to give more police officers Tasers to help them fight violent criminals more effectively – and keep themselves safe in the field. Priti Patel made this announcement ahead of Conservative Party Conference as part of decisive action praised by the Police Federation of England and Wales. Read below to find out more.
Why are we giving police officers Tasers?
At the moment, some officers are not able to access the equipment they need to protect others and themselves. That is changing now: we are giving Chief Constables the funding and powers they need to equip more of their officers with Tasers, should they want to do so.
This will help to apprehend criminals and maintain public order. And it will help keep police officers safer.
Will every officer have a Taser due to this policing policy?
No – we are giving Chief Constables the option to provide more of their officers with Tasers. The funding we are providing is enough to equip 60% of officers with Tasers, which could see around 10,000 more officers carrying the devices.
How much funding will be given for this policing policy?
We have ringfenced £10 million fund over the next 12 months to help fund more Tasers for Chief Constables who request them.
This has the potential to equip 10,000 more officers with Tasers, helping them to maintain public order and keeping themselves safe in volatile situations.
What else are we doing to keep our streets safe and reduce crime?
We are hiring 20,000 additional police officers to keep our streets safe and reduce crime.
The unprecedented drive to deliver 20,000 more police officers over the next three years has begun with the launch of a national recruitment campaign, overseen by a new National Policing Board and backed by £750 million next year.
We are also extending stop and search powers to further empower our police officers, prevent crime, and keep dangerous weapons off of our streets.
Labour's policy is soft on crime
Labour would not give the police the resources they need to tackle crime. Labour voted against making an additional £970 million available to the police this year and would only provide an additional 10,000 more police officers, half the amount we are delivering.
And Labour have continued to oppose stronger stop and search powers as well as our attempts to fight knife crime.
We need a strong Conservative crime policy to keep criminals off of our streets and our police officers safe. Police officers put their lives on the line to keep us all safe every time they go out on patrol. This announcement shows that the Home Secretary and Prime Minister have their back.