Police in England and Wales fired their Taser guns at children 28 times during a 20-month period

February 24, 2009
guardian.co.uk

Police in England and Wales fired their Taser guns at children 28 times during a 20-month period, Smith (Jacqui Smith, home secretary) revealed. Figures show that in 2007 there were 11 incidents of the weapon being used against people under 18, rising to 17 in the first eight months of 2008. Tasers work by firing metal barbs into the skin which can then discharge a 50,000V electrical charge designed to disable someone long enough to allow police to detain them.