First Minister ignores Taser threat

3.00.51pm GMT Thu 4th Feb 2010

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Tavish Scott challenged the First Minister about police officers who are not specialist firearms officers being issued with Tasers.

The First Minister refused to get involved, claiming it was an operational matter for the force. But when Liberal Democrat MSP Jeremy Purvis questioned the previous First Minister about the same subject, he was given a Ministerial policy answer.

In England, the Home Secretary had to give agreement before the weapons were issued to more officers.

Commenting after First Minister’s Questions, Mr Scott said:

“When Tasers were put on trial in England, within the first year they had been used 661 times. 34 children were zapped with 50,000 volts within a year.

“Before the weapons were issued to more officers in England, it was signed off by Jacqui Smith. But according to the First Minister, in Scotland this is an operational matter and he refused to get drawn in.

“The First Minister talked about specialist training for the officers who will be carrying Tasers. This “specialist training” is just three days.

“Three days training might well be enough for an officer who has already had 8 weeks of intensive firearms training and is already subject to strict regular reviews. But the First Minister seems confident that it’s also sufficient for officers who have no previous training or experience of handling weapons like this.

“Today’s announcement in Strathclyde could be a slippery slope to every officer in Scotland carrying a Taser gun, with only three days training.”