Responding to today’s IPCC ruling on police use of Taser against a man in Nottingham, Amnesty International UK Arms Programme Director, Oliver Sprague said:

“The IPCC’s decision that the police officers were acting proportionately appears to be primarily based on existing police guidelines.  

“However current policing guidelines do not specify clearly that these weapons should be used only when there is a genuine threat to life or very serious injury. This, in our view, leaves the risk that the Taser may be used when officers are presented with far less threatening situations.

“Tasers are dangerous weapons which inflict excruciating pain. They should be drawn only in the rare instances where a person is demonstrating a genuine threat to life or causing very serious injury to themselves or others – and only by a limited number of highly trained officers.

“We would urge the Home Office to review the policing guidelines on the use of Tasers so as to ensure that officers only use the weapon when absolutely necessary.”