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A moratorium must be imposed on the use of controversial Taser weapons by police, a leading lawyer said yesterday following the second stungun-related death in as many months.
A man died early yesterday after being shot with a Taser by officers responding to reports of a burglary at a flat in Newcastle-under-Lyme.
Staffordshire Police said that officers discharged the weapon after being called to an address in Audley Road just after 1am.
A force spokesman said the occupants were not at home at the time of the incident, but that on arrival police discovered a man inside the premises.
“During the incident, a Taser was discharged by officers and the man was taken to a police vehicle,” the spokesman said.
The man then became “unresponsive” and, despite treatment by paramedics, died.
Following the latest incident solicitor-advocate Sophie Khan called for temporary curbs on the use of Tasers until the conclusion of a Home Office review of their use.
“This Taser death shows Tasers are a real threat to life and their use must now be curbed,” she said.
“The Home Secretary has ordered a review of Tasers in October this year due to the excessive use on vulnerable individuals.
“As the spotlight is now firmly on police use of force, the Home Secretary should move to impose a temporary ban on Taser use whilst the review is ongoing.”
Staffordshire Police said that the incident had been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).
Last month murder suspect Matthew Williams died after being shot with a Taser by South Wales Police.
And official figures released in October showed that in the first half of this year Tasers were used on 5,107 occasions.
The number of instances of Taser use by police forces in England and Wales rose from 3,128 to 10,380 between 2009 and 2013.
Earlier this year research found that Taser use against children by the Metropolitan Police — the country’s largest force — has risen nearly six-fold over four years.
Hampshire Constabulary recently announced it was to further roll out the use of Tasers, with an additional 60 officers being trained to use the high-power weapons.
