Will tasers aid lonely Highland police officers?
Opinion been split in the Highlands over controversial plans to arm rural police with tasers.
Officers will be specially trained in handling the weapons, which shoot electric shocks, in what Police Scotland hopes will improve safety for both staff and the public.
Around 500 more tasers will be put on to Scotland’s streets in the coming months, including in the Highlands, although it is not yet known how many will be deployed here in the region.
Councillor Matthew Reiss, former inspector and Highland Council’s strategic lead for police and fire, thinks the tasers will help officers working alone, particularly in remote areas far from back up, while Highlands and Islands MSP John Finnie, also a former police officer, is concerned that arming police will distance them from the public.
The move was sparked by a massive increase of attacks on officers last year, when 964 were assaulted, compared to 764 in 2016.
Cllr Reiss said: "I think a lot of people probably don’t realise the reality of working as a police officer in a rural area.
"They are often working alone and are far away from an armed response unit so if they are confronted by two violent drunks for example, it can be very difficult to control them or cuff them.
"All they have is CS spray [tear gas] and a baton. The spray has its place and can be very effective but if someone has a knife it can be very difficult and similarly if someone approaches a lone officer with a knife they only have one shot with their baton and they would have to get very close to hit them."
But Cllr Reiss said the tasers are also for the protection of criminals as they do not cause as much long-term damage as a blow from a baton.
"A taser will temporarily stun and very rarely does lasting damage whereas a blow with a bat would need to be a hard hit to be effective, which is more likely to cause an injury.
"I’m not sure what the public reaction to it will be but I hope most people will understand the balance of protecting both officers and the public."
This comes after an increase in the number of officers carrying guns in Scotland last year, which was upped by more than 100 in November.
But Scottish Greens justice spokesman Mr Finnie wants more details on why these decisions were made and what criteria is used to decide which officers are armed.
He said: "It is important that all police work is risk assessed and there is no doubt that some of the challenges faced in the Highlands, not least in terms of ready back-up from other officers, differ from largely urban areas.
"It would be interesting to understand how Police Scotland will differentiate between who is and isn’t issued with the additional weaponry and what the wider implications of that deployment model are.
"If, as I understand, there are fears officers may be targeted then it might reasonably be assumed that those without taser with be the more likely intended victim.
"The Scottish Green party’s concern is that this roll-out is the latest stage of the road to increased, and more routine, arming of the police leading to a further distancing from the public they serve."
The Police Scotland announcement said consultation will be held with politicians and the Scottish Police Authority to decide which officers should be trained.
Deputy chief constable Johnny Gwynne, of crime and operational support, said: "Ultimately, this move is about keeping the public safe, which is at the heart of what we do."
