Police use of Tasers - Home Affairs Committee Contents

Key Facts

• In 2004 the Home Office allowed the use of Taser by police forces in England and Wales.
• Tasers have been deployed over 6000 times since 2004.
• In almost 70% of cases, the Taser was not fired.
• Over 20,000 training cartridges and over 20,000 live cartridges are needed every six months.
• Taser technology is used by agencies in 45 countries around the world.
• The name 'Taser' is an acronym which stands for 'Thomas A. Swift's Electric Rifle': see footnotes.

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Prepared 7 March 2011