800 extra police to get Taser training amid security threat

The force will today unveil plans to train 800 extra officers to use the electrical firearm on top of the 600 already equipped to carry them, bringing the total to 1,400.

They will also upgrade to a newer model of the weapon capable of firing two separate 50,000 volt shots without reloading.

It comes after what Chief Constable Dave Thompson described as the ‘deadly and determined threats’ facing unarmed officers and cited recent terror attacks.

Speaking at a public consultation, he said: “We have seen recent events, particularly in the UK’s changing security landscape, where we have seen unarmed officers facing deadly and determined threats.

“We have seen it very recently with the death of Keith Palmer guarding the gates of Parliament – but also in the London Bridge attack we again saw the injuries inflicted on a British Transport Police officer.

“So there is a context at the moment where, both in terms of protection of our officers but also our ability to intervene and protect the public, we are having to strike that balance to say do we have the balance right at the moment?

“There is a big debate about the real challenges that an unarmed police service faces in the current threats and our need to ensure we can protect the public as well as our officers.”

The force will move from the current X26 Taser to the newer X2 model, which has been in use in the US since 2011.

The X2 model allows two separate shots to be fired in quick succession. The X26 has a 60 per cent failure rate when being fired for the first time and takes around five seconds to manually reload with a new cartridge to fire a second shot.

It has two lasers and a larger 11.6mm electric barb, up from 9mm on the older version. This means it is more accurate and effective at attaching itself to the target and delivers a more effective shock.

Enhanced digital technology means more data can be recorded from the X2 and it is hoped it will link with body-worn cameras which are being rolled out to officers.

The new model was approved by the Home Secretary Amber Rudd earlier this year.

Temporary Inspector Chris Coughlin, the force’s deputy chief firearms instructor, said: “There has been a load of research done around why and how we should do this. It comes down to assessing the current threat and crime hotspots – the busy areas.

“Roughly at the moment we have around 600 Taser officers trained, some of those are firearms officers – some are specialist Taser officers. We are looking at an uplift in the region of another 800 on top of that.

“Alongside that there is a training programme to enable us to do that.”

Training for new officers takes 18 hours over three days. Those already trained on the X26 Taser who will convert to the X2 will undertake two days of training. All Taser-trained officers carry out refresher training of six hours every year.

Mr Thompson said: “A very small proportion of our officers are armed and that is something we think is very important that continues.”

Temp Insp Couglin added: “Over the last three years, Taser use is pretty much the same. What we have noticed is that the use of firing is steadily reducing. Roughly about 20 per cent of the time we use it, we are firing it.”

In 2016, West Midlands Police officers deployed Tasers on 854 occasions but only fired them 162 times.

Ex-Villa legend Dalian Atkinson died after being shot with a Taser in Telford by West Mercia Police last year.

PC Keith Palmer was stabbed at the gates of the Houses of Parliament by Midlands terrorist Khalid Masood in March.