Officers are increasingly unwilling to carry a taser because they fear the repercussions of using the device, a police federation representative has said. Issues around taser have been under the spotlight in recent weeks following the death of Dalian Atkinson on August 15, with two officers under criminal investigation and suspended from the force following the incident.

The Police Federation of England and Wales has long called for a roll-out of taser, saying every officer who wishes to carry the device should be able to do so in order to defend both the public and themselves.

However, Bedfordshire Police Federation Secretary Emma Carter said despite a drive from her force for more officers to carry taser, few had asked to do so.

“Our Chief Constable and Chief Executive have put aside funding for additional tasers and taser training courses, but a chief inspector got in touch with me and said although he had put out information about all of the courses, only a handful of people had got back to him,” she told PoliceOracle.com

“So I sent out a global email to all officers in the force to try and find out why and was absolutely inundated with replies.

“One of the main themes to come out of it was that there is a major feeling that they will not be supported by senior management if anything happens. They also fear trial by media and the fact justice groups are set up very quickly nowadays also adds more pressure.”

She added that student officers – who make up a large percentage of the force following recent recruitment drives – were very keen to carry the device despite being unable to do so because of national regulations.

Choosing not to carry a taser could be leaving both the officers and public at risk, she said. “I think some officers will try and use ‘old fashioned’ policing methods and run the risk of being assaulted rather than use a taser,” she said.

“Officers’ protection has got to come first because if they can’t protect themselves and their colleagues, then how can they protect the public? In this day and age we often have officers going out single crewed and by not giving them this equipment we are leaving them at risk.”

The issue was also highlighted on social media, with some saying on Twitter that they no longer feel safe carrying the weapon.

A spokesman for the PFEW said that a survey carried out by themselves and the University of Nottingham earlier this year found that of its 17,000 respondents, 14 per cent have access to taser while 43 per cent more want it – more than those who want double crewing or body worn video.

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