Raoul Moat inquest: Amnesty International questions Taser use

September 24, 2011
Jamie Doward, The Guardian

Amnesty International has written to the coroner conducting the inquest into the death of Raoul Moat questioning how police came to fire a non-lethal weapon at him despite a Home Office study concluding it was inaccurate and unreliable.

The human rights group said it wanted to establish whether the officers who fired the experimental Xrep Taser were aware of research conducted on behalf of the Home Office Scientific Development Branch, the body that evaluates specialist equipment. The research found the weapon was unlikely to be effective and had a high risk of missing its target. Officers using the weapon shot at Moat twice. One round missed and the other appeared to strike him without effect.

Oliver Sprague, Amnesty's UK arms programme director, said: "It's alarming that officers chose to deploy a weapon whose testing data had shown it to be highly inaccurate and highly likely to fail. Lessons must be learned from this and no weapon should be deployed by any UK police force until it has been officially sanctioned by the Home Office."

The Moat inquest is expected to last a further four weeks.

Police close Taser probe after death

October 12, 2010
By Daniel Owens, Northampton Chronicle & Echo

AN investigation into the supply of controversial Taser stun guns has been closed, just days after the director of the company responsible was found dead at his home in Northampton following a suspected suicide.

Peter Boatman, the 57-year-old director of operations for Pro-Tect Systems, was found dead at his home in Reynard Way, Kingsthorpe only three days after the Home Office revoked the firm’s licence to import and sell Tasers. The weapons were used by officers from Northumbria Police in the stand-off with gunman Raoul Moat.

An investigation into the supply of the weapons was immediately launched by Northamptonshire Police following concerns terms of the licence had been breached.

But Operations Supt Sean Bell, of Protective Services Command; said in a statement yesterday: “Northamptonshire Police has concluded its investigation into the supply of X12 Taser guns and XREP ammunitions by Daventry-based Pro-Tect Systems Limited.

“The investigation identified that offences against the Firearms Act 1968 had been committed. However, taking into account all of the available evidence, including the recent tragic death of Operations Director Peter Boatman, we have concluded that it is not in the public interest to take any action against Pro-Tect Systems Limited and the investigation has now been closed.”

An inquest into Mr Boatman’s death was adjourned last week as post-mortem examinations were awaiting toxicology and histology tests.

The investigation came after it emerged that Pro-Tect Systems breached the terms of its licence by supplying X12 Tasers, which were still being tested by Government scientists, directly to police involved in the Moat manhunt.

Mr Boatman’s business partner said the former police officer was “destroyed” by the furore.

Pro-Tect’s managing director Kevin Coles said there was “no doubt” his colleague’s apparent suicide was linked to the probe.

He said: “He was a proud man and he felt ashamed at recent developments. He spent all his life involved in officer safety and what happened was a result of him being worried about the welfare of officers.”

Policeman will profit from Tasers

October 30, 2005
Ali Hussain and Gareth Walsh, The Sunday Times

THE American manufacturer of Taser, the controversial stun gun, gave the exclusive British distribution rights to a senior serving police officer who helped win Home Office approval for the weapon.

Inspector Peter Boatman had a 50% share in a company that sold Tasers at the same time as devising Britain’s first police training programme for the use of weapons.

Boatman was in charge of assessing the merits of Taser as head of operational training for Northamptonshire police and was regarded as an impartial expert on the weapon.

Since he left the force a little more than three years ago, his firm has provided 1,500 Tasers worth about £1m to 20 British police forces. It is the exclusive UK distributor for the US company, Taser International.

Disclosure of the apparent conflict of interest comes after Taser International, the US manufacturer, was accused of providing American police officers with share options potentially worth $1m.

The manufacturer is also being investigated over its safety claims. A Taser fires two barbed darts, felling a potential assailant with a 50,000 volt shock and causes the target’s muscles to go into uncontrollable spasm, allowing the police to capture him. The weapon, which costs up to £750, is intended to provide police with a “less lethal” option than a gun.

More than 100 deaths have been attributed to the use of Tasers in America.

Companies House records show that Boatman took a 50% stake in a start-up company, Pro-Tect Systems, in December 2000. He became a director of the firm on December 5 and resigned three weeks later, on December 27, but held on to his stake in the company.

In February 2001, Pro-Tect received the Taser contract for the UK. Within two months Boatman was acting as an adviser to the Home Office on whether to issue Tasers to British officers. He was “regarded as a national and international expert” on Tasers, Chris Fox, the former chief constable of Northamptonshire, said yesterday.

In December 2001, three months after the Home Office approved trial imports, Boatman publicly rebutted claims by Police Federation officers that Tasers could be dangerous. Boatman wrote “with sadness” to Police Review that “this technology is very effective — more than any other technique, device or equipment for establishing control over violent and dangerous subjects”.

He retired from the police on April 16, 2002. Two days later he was installed as chairman of Pro-Tect Systems. His fellow founding director and friend, Kevin Coles, had been running the firm in the meantime.

Despite the records at Companies House, Boatman insisted he had had no connection with Pro-Tect Systems before retiring from the police, and had “never been paid by Taser to do anything on their behalf”. Taser International said it was not aware that Boatman had a share in Pro-Tect Systems while still a serving police office Boatman put on a public demonstration of his confidence in the safety of Tasers by firing one at his wife, Stephanie, in a stunt staged in November 2004. He has said he believes the stun guns have never caused a fatality.

She fell to the ground screaming “like a pig” as her husband unleashed the full 50,000 volts into her back, Yet after the briefest of recovery times the 44-year-old mother got back to her feet. The Taser stun gun, it seemed, was crippling but safe.

The demonstration marked the culmination of a five-year campaign by Boatman to convince the British authorities that the Taser should be accepted as a standard piece of kit. The Home Office approved trials of the Taser in five police forces in April 2003 after it beat rivals in subduing violent offenders without killing them. It was cleared for national use in September 2004.

Last week senior officers said it should no longer be confined to the kind of threatening incidents where a normal firearm could be used.

Taser International, the manufacturer, last week reported a 38% annual drop in sales in the third quarter. It has been thrown on the defensive by court documents that detailed the share options it gave to police in American cities.Now the process by which the device won rapid acceptance in mainstream British policing has also come under scrutiny. Questions have been raised about the precise role played by Boatman.

Boatman, 52, who was entrusted by Northamptonshire police with researching “less lethal weapons”, first encountered Tasers at an exhibition held in Germany in 1999.

The following year, Boatman developed the first Taser training programme in Britain, which was adopted and further developed by Acpo. Boatman said he had advised Home Office scientists carrying out research into “less lethal” weapons.

Last week he confirmed that he played a key role in bringing Taser to the UK. “I was the one who initially looked at the Taser and indicated that I think (sic) it would be a workable option in the UK.” Asked directly whether he was being paid by Taser while he carried out police research into “less lethal” weaponry he replied: “Of course not. I wasn’t allowed to because I was a police officer . . . As a serving police officer that would have been unlawful, unethical and immoral.

“My driving force was I wanted to help introduce tactics and equipment into the UK to make both the police forces and the members of the public that they serve . . . safer.”

Confronted later with evidence that he held a 50% stake in the distribution firm while still a serving officer, he said: “Let me just say this and be very clear: I have no comment about anything you may wish to ask about. ” He declined to answer whether his stake had been declared to the Home Office, Acpo or his senior officers.

Last week the Home Office, Northamptonshire police and Fox — now president of Acpo — also declined to answer the question.

Steve Ward, a vice-president at Taser International, said he was unaware Boatman held the stake while a serving officer.

Other questions have emerged about the independence of the process that led the Home Office and police forces to endorse the stun guns.

Among research considered by the Home Office from police in other countries during trials was a report by Darren Laur, a Canadian officer. Laur and six other serving or former officers in north America are now accused of accepting valuable share options from Taser International.

Court documents released last month in Arizona — where Taser is based — contain a deposition by Tom Smith, the company’s president, that show that all seven served in cities that bought stun guns.

Taser says the officers were not in a position to influence any buying decisions. It also states that the options were granted after the orders were placed. The Home Office said it reached its decision on the basis of independent research.

Serious concerns are also emerging over the safety and reliability of the tests carried out on Taser devices, both in Britain and America. The Securities and Exchange Commission, the US financial watchdog, last month began a formal inquiry into Taser International’s safety claims.

The manufacturer says there is evidence for only one death as a direct result of Taser fire.

There are also concerns over the readiness of police to resort to using the weapons. In Britain an investigation is continuing after police fired a Taser at a man on a bus in Leeds who failed to answer a challenge six days after the July 7 London bombings. It was later alleged he failed to respond because he was in a diabetic coma.

Please click on the following link to see Steve Tuttle's response to my previous post.

Did Tasers Kill Raoul Moat? UK Taser Supplier Found Dead

Boss of supply firm for Raoul Moat shooting taser 'commits suicide' after losing licence

Hoping I might find a word or two of sympathy for the family of Mr. Boatman after this terrible tragedy, I instead stumbled upon the following message on TWITTER from Taser International's VP of Communications, Steve Tuttle, on the wonders of the XREP:

Great video on #TASER #XREP concerning Green Bay PD. Good summary of how it works: http://bit.ly/bwSuMp
9 minutes ago via web

http://twitter.com/SteveTASER
Name Stephen Tuttle
Location Scottsdale, AZ
Web http://www.TASER.com
Bio VP of Comms for TASER, chief spokesman, crisis mgr & risk mgmt.

***********************************************************************

October 1, 2010
By Andrew Hough, telegraph.co.uk

A former policeman, Peter Boatman, whose firm supplied the controversial long range tasers which were fired at gunman Raoul Moat has died in a suspected suicide.

The director of operations of the Pro-Tect Systems, which supplied four experimental X-12 tasers used during the police stand-off, was found dead on Friday morning.

It is understood he had killed himself. Police did not confirm how he died but said a taser was not involved.

The 57 year-old worked as an inspector for Northamptonshire Police before leaving the force in 2002 to become a 50 per cent partner in Pro-Tect Systems.

His company gained a lucrative Government contract making him the only legal supplier of tasers in Britain. His company sold more than 4,000 stun-guns to police and military forces.

But earlier this week, the Home Office revoked Pro-Tect's licence to import and sell Tasers after the firm breached its terms by supplying the tasers directly to police involved in the Moat manhunt.

Five police vans were seen attending the father-of-two's home in Kingsthorpe, Northampton.

Officers arrived at his house at lunchtime on Friday before cordoning off the area.

He is believed to have lived at the property with his wife Stephanie, also a director of Pro-Tect Systems, daughter Chloe, 30, and son Kiel. Police officers were said to be comforting his family at the large detached four-bedroomed home.

Four vehicles with personalised numberplates containing the letters TSR, short for taser, were outside the property.

Kevin Coles, the company's managing director, said he and his colleagues were "devastated" by the news.

"After recent events he wasn't the man he was. We're all just dreadfully sorry for (his wife) Steph and the family," he said.

A spokesman for the Daventry-based Pro-Tect Systems said Mr Boatman's death was "an incredibly sad loss".

The firm paid tribute to Mr Boatman who had showed "incredible passion in bringing a friendly and committed outlook to all he met".

"It is with great regret we announce the tragic death of our colleague and great friend Peter Boatman today," the spokesman said.

"At this point, it is inappropriate to comment on this terrible news apart from saying we are devastated and are sharing a state of severe shock and grief with Peter's family.

"Since Peter has been a part of out business he has shown incredible passion in bringing a friendly and committed outlook to all he met."

He added: "His death is an incredibly sad loss and we extend out deepest condolences and thoughts to his family and friends at this very difficult time.

"We share in Peter's family request for privacy so we can all come to terms with today's awful news and we hope you can respect this."

A neighbour Rob Fisher, 45, who works as a financial advisor, disclosed how hard Mr Boatman worked.

"It's a tragic thing. Running a business like he did can be very stressful. I feel for his family," he said.

"When I heard the news a couple of nights ago I thought 'how devastating' because he had been working so hard for his company.

"He always got up at 6am in the morning and came back home very late. Peter was very welcoming and introduced us to the neighbourhood."

He added: "Earlier this afternoon an ambulance turned up and police cars came screeching around the cul-de-sac blocking the entrance. It was obvious something tragic had happened."

Another neighbour, who refused to be named, added: "He was a wonderful person, who had a great sense of humour. He will be sorely missed."

A Northamptonshire Police spokeswoman said: "Officers were called to an address in Reynard Way, Kingsthorpe, at 1.09pm this afternoon, where the body of a 57-year-old man was discovered.

"We are not treating the death as suspicious and will be preparing a report for the coroner.

"The family do not wish to be contacted and members of the press are asked to respect their privacy."

Pro-Tect was facing possible action by Northamptonshire Police over the breach of the licence.

Speaking after the Home Office revoked the firm's licence on Tuesday, Superintendent Sean Bell, the force's head of operations, said: "We are now considering whether or not to take further action against Pro-Tect in connection with breaching the conditions of their licence."

Former police officer Mr Boatman was in charge of assessing the merits of Taser as head of operational training for the force.

Home Secretary Theresa May revoked the firm's licence to import and sell Tasers following an investigation into the use of the weapons at the end of one of Britain's biggest manhunts.

Pro-Tect breached its licence by supplying the X12 Tasers and XRep ammunition, which were still being tested by the Home Office, directly to two police forces, the Home Office said.

Armed police fired two Tasers at Moat in an "effort to stop him taking his own life" in the Riverside park area in Rothbury, Northumberland, in the early hours of July 10, an inquest at Newcastle Civic Centre was told.

The Tasers can deliver up to 20 seconds of electric shock in bullet-like capsules from a standard 12-gauge shotgun or a X12 Taser.

Mrs May revoked Pro-Tect's licence after inquiries revealed it supplied the Tasers, which should have only been supplied to the Home Office Science and Development Branch (HOSDB), directly to police.

The firm also breached the rules "governing the secure transport of the devices and ammunition", the Home Office said.

There was no suggestion any blame should be attached to the officers involved and the Home Office has stressed police could use any weapon they saw fit as long as its use was "lawful, reasonable and proportionate".

The stand-off with the steroid-addicted former nightclub doorman ended the seven-day manhunt which was triggered when Moat shot his former girlfriend, Samantha Stobbart, 22, killed her new boyfriend, Chris Brown, 29, and blinded Pc David Rathband, 42.

But the precise sequence of events regarding the discharge of the XRep Tasers in relation to Moat firing his sawn-off shotgun has not been established and is under investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), the inquest into his death was told.

Steve Reynolds, of the IPCC, said: "The review of tactics will consider the deployment and use of the XRep Taser."

The Pro-Tect Systems spokesman said it could not comment while the IPCC investigation was going on.

Mr Boatman publicly denied claims that Tasers could be dangerous and showed his confidence of their safety by firing one at his wife, in November 2004.

She fell to the ground in agony as her husband shot the full 50,000 volts into her back but quickly recovered and stood back to her feet.

Taser company man 'kills himself'

October 1, 2010
BBC News

The director of operations of the firm which supplied the Tasers used during the stand-off with gunman Raoul Moat is understood to have killed himself.

Former police officer Peter Boatman, of the Daventry firm Pro-Tect, was found dead on Friday morning, his business partner said.

Earlier this week it emerged supplier Pro-Tect breached its licence by supplying X12 Tasers direct to police.

The Home Office confirmed the firm had had its licence revoked.

'Devastated'

Mr Boatman's business partner, Kevin Coles, told BBC News that Mr Boatman had been found dead.

He said he was "devastated" at the news.

He added that Mr Boatman was a "proud man" who had worked hard to protect the police and had felt "ashamed" at the recent developments.

He said the Home Office ban and the subsequent coverage had "destroyed" him.

Pro-Tect was accused of supplying a new Taser weapon to Northumbria Police during the Raoul Moat manhunt in breach of Home Office rules because the Taser had not been fully tested.

Mr Coles said Pete Boatman had only wanted to help police officers who were caught up in the hunt for Moat.

Northamptonshire Police, which was investigating the company, is preparing to issue a statement.

You're not properly licensed to use the malfunctioning, eye-scalding gun

"People aren't dying because of "excited delirium" as Taser International ridiculously claims. They're dying because their shitty guns cause people's hearts to explode."

September 30, 2010
Allison Kilkenny, Huffington Post

Raoul Moat, a 37-year-old man, was recently the target of a massive police manhunt in England after he shot three people with a sawn-off shotgun. After spending six days on the run, Moat was finally cornered by police. Hours of negotiations proceeded at the end of which Moat shot himself and later died at a hospital.

The salivating media followed every second of the tense pursuit with classy O.J.-style gusto. Journalist Johann Hari was particularly critical of the overzealous coverage, and especially how the media glorified Moat, describing him as having a "hulking physique," which of course is typical of a "notorious hard man." I dunno, ladies. Should we fear him or date him?

Details have now emerged that the police weren't properly licensed for the long-range X12 tasers they carried during the manhunt. At first, it seemed a minor detail in an extremely dramatic story, but now that some time has passed, reality is setting in. Police were carrying long-range tasers that haven't even been tested by scientists yet.

Well, what's the harm? An electrocuting gun is meant to electrocute. If it does that, great. If there's a little glitch, what's the worst that can happen?

*******************************
Taser shotgun firm shoots itself in foot

Paul Marks, chief technology correspondent

Controversy continues to dog a non-lethal weapon called the Taser shotgun.

The "X12" Taser shotgun is made by Taser International of Scottsdale, Arizona and fires a battery-packed 12-bore shell with forward-facing barbs that deliver a debilitating electric shock.
In August last year, New Scientist revealed research that showed an early version of the weapon was both difficult to aim accurately, putting victims' eyes at risk, and sometimes delivered a shock for more than five minutes, rather than 20 seconds.

Such issues were part of the reason that the Taser shotgun went into a programme of testingin the labs of the UK Home Office's Scientific Development Branch (HOSDB).

********************************

Of course, none of this concerns people when the weapon is used against someone violent like Moat. The man was clearly mentally ill (he'd attempted to seek psychiatric help before the shootings,) but he was prone to eruptions of anger, and served time in jail for assaulting a nine-year-old relative. Hardly a man who inspires sympathy.

But it's interesting that police are using tasers that haven't even been cleared properly by scientists. It should concern people who aren't gun-wielding psychopaths, and may one day be at the receiving end of 50,000 volts of state sanctioned torture for something little like getting mouthy with a police officer over a speeding ticket, telling a bad joke, or daring to exercise their First Amendment rights.

Home Secretary Theresa May announced she has revoked Pro-Tect's licence to supply tasers to police forces for breaching the rules including the transportation of ammunition. That's a good thing, and a good demonstration of how the state is supposed to work. A private company breached proper dispensing protocol, so the state regulates their contracts. No proper testing, no business.

I'm curious as to how this would be handled in the states where deregulation and allowing companies to do whatever the hell they want is all the craze right now. Have all the tasers currently being carried by U.S. officers been properly tested?

Tasers, when they function perfectly, are brutal weapons of torture. It seems like every week there's a new horrifying story in the news about yet another innocent victim who has been killed or injured by tasers. So imagine if these weapons malfunction to the point where they blind victims and inflict excruciating pain for more than five minutes.

A recent study at the University of California found that deaths in-custody actually rise sharply - nearly six times - during the first year a department uses tasers. These things aren't the soft, friendly version of policing. They're torture devices that kill people, and are particularly dangerous for the mentally ill, and individuals with heart problems. And they're being marketed by companies that aren't even properly testing them.

Way back in the day, when U.S. companies designed deadly products called cigarettes, they were asked to appear before Congress to explain why they should be allowed to kill Americans for profit. It may be time to bring back that tradition. People aren't dying because of "excited delirium" as Taser International ridiculously claims. They're dying because their shitty guns cause people's hearts to explode.

U.K. stops import of Tasers after illegal use

September 29, 2010
QMI Agency

British police are in need of a new Taser supplier after an illegal shotgun version of the popular stun gun was used to try to subdue a gunman in July.

The British government revoked Pro-Tect's licence to import Tasers because the government alleges the company illegally supplied the X12 shotgun-style Taser to a local police force.

The X12 -- which fires a barbed battery that delivers a debilitating electric shock -- was only supposed to be supplied the U.K. Home Office for testing.

"Faced with these breaches, the Home secretary has decided to revoke Pro-Tect's licence to supply Tasers," a spokesperson for the U.K. Home Office said in a statement.

The controversy began after Raoul Moat shot and killed himself after a six-hour standoff with police, during which he had been shot twice with Taser stun guns.

"Enquiries following the Raoul Moat operation revealed Pro-Tect breached its licence by supplying X12 Tasers direct to police that were only available for supply to the Home Office Science and Development branch," the spokesperson said.

"The enquiries carried out by Northamptonshire Police also revealed the company breached rules governing the secure transport of the devices and ammunition."

The U.K. minister for crime prevention wrote a letter that says the government is working to find a new importer to "ensure that police forces continue to have adequate Taser stocks."

Arizona-based Taser International manufactures the stun guns.

Tasers: Police must not be allowed to rely on 'discretion' to use unapproved weapons

29 September 2010
Amnesty International UK

Amnesty International has expressed grave concern that the Taser XREP projectile and X12 shot gun were used without having gone through the official weapons testing and approval process. The organisation expressed its concern following the recent revelation that the weapons distribution company – Pro-Tect Systems – had issued the police these weapons without Home Office authorisation. Pro-Tect Systems has since had its licence suspended.

Amnesty International’s Arms Programme Director Oliver Sprague said: “No new weapon or equipment should used by the police until it has passed a rigorous and transparent safety, testing and approvals process. The Taser XREP is far more powerful than the traditional Taser with a considerably longer 20-second shock cycle. As a projectile fired from a shot gun, there are serious concerns over its accuracy and reliability as well as the risk of causing unnecessary injury.”

Results from a 2008 independent assessment funded by safety testing authorities in the UK, the USA and Canada have found the XREP projectile to be inaccurate with a high failure rate.

Amnesty is urging the Home Office to review its decision to enable Chief Constables to authorise the use of any weapon as long as its use is "lawful, reasonable and proportionate", apparently even if these weapons have not been thoroughly tested or approved for use. At a minimum Amnesty believes that this should include testing the efficacy of the weapon, medical safety testing and evidence that its use is compatible with proportionate and lawful use of force, in line with international human rights standards.

Oliver Sprague continued: “The UK has in place some of the world’s toughest approvals and testing processes for new police weapons. What is the point of having such a robust system if Chief Constables are, it seems, able to bypass rigorous testing and approvals and deploy any weapon they see fit? Any new police weapons should only be considered following a needs and risk assessment that identifies a recognised gap in their capability that cannot be overcome in any other way.”

International standards on police use of force and weaponry encourage the development of ‘less lethal’ weapons, but also stipulate that any such weaponry should be very carefully evaluated and controlled.

These same standards also set requirements on how and when police officers should carry weapons, including the circumstances in which they can be used and comprehensive training and accountability policies and procedures. The decision to allow discretion for Chief Constables to deploy XREP or any similar emerging technologies in absence of rigorous testing and approvals process, including clear procedures set in place for how and when they can be used, is a clear breach of these international standards

Oliver Sprague added: “A weapon like the XREP should not be in the UK police force’s arsenal until it has gone through all the necessary checks and is shown to be safe to use. If and when such approval is given, the XREP should be given only to specialist firearms officers and used when there in an imminent threat to life.”

Firm that supplied Tasers used in Raoul Moat standoff loses licence

September 28, 2010
guardian.co.uk

The company that supplied the Taser guns used by police in their standoff with Raoul Moat has had its licence revoked, the Home Office said today.

The home secretary, Theresa May, withdrew the authority of Pro-Tect Systems to supply the weapons after it "breached its licence".

The company was licensed to supply the Tasers to the Home Office for testing but not to supply them to police. It also "breached rules governing the secure transport of the devices and ammunition," the Home Office said.

Northumbria police used an XRep Taser to bring to an end one of the biggest manhunts in British history in the early hours of 10 July.

Moat had shot his former girlfriend Samantha Stobbart, 22, killed Chris Brown, 29, and blinded police constable David Rathband, 42.

At Moat's inquest, the Home Office confirmed that the XRep Taser, which is fired from a 12-gauge shotgun, was not approved for use by forces in England and Wales and was "subject to testing by the HOSDB (Home Office scientific development branch)".

The Home Office stressed there was no wrongdoing on the part of police, who have the authority to use any weapon they see fit "as long as the use of force is lawful, reasonable and proportionate".

A spokesman said: "The process for approval of less lethal weapons is set out in a Home Office code of practice document on police use of firearms which chief constables must 'have regard to'."

The move means Pro-Tect Systems – the only supplier of Tasers in the UK – will no longer be allowed to import and sell Tasers. A company spokesperson said it could not comment while the IPCC investigation was going on.

But Moat's brother, Angus, has accused officers of using his brother as a "guinea pig". "They had not used them [XRep Tasers] before, and that was not the time or the place to conduct an experiment," he said.

The 40-year-old, of Shieldfield, in Newcastle – who is waiting for the results of a second post-mortem examination on his brother – added: "We have said all along we have concerns about the sequence of events that night.

"I am cautiously reassured by the Home Office that there is a legal dimension to this."

Raoul Moat stun gun cops 'not trained'

July 18, 2010
By Neville Thurlbeck, News of the World

POLICE marksmen who fired at Raoul Moat with a new shotgun Taser were given just TEN MINUTES training at the stand-off scene.

An armed police source with intimate knowledge of what happened in the final seconds said Moat - holding his shotgun under his chin - went into a muscular spasm as he was hit.

A review is now under way to see if this made him accidentally pull the trigger.

But the source insisted the use of the stun-guns was the only hope of ending the stand-off without bloodshed. He said: "The inspector gave the order to bring the XRep Tasers to the scene midway through the evening. They were only to be used as a last resort.

"None of the officers had seen one before or had received training. They were given verbal instructions. There was no time for a demonstration or practice.

"When it was clear there was no way he was going to give himself up, this was the only option left to us.

"We really don't know how anyone could criticise us. If this had been in London or Manchester, he would have been shot.

"We tried to capture him alive. With the Tasers and around 20 armed officers behind him ready to grab him, we though it might just be possible."

The XRep has a range of 100ft rather than the 21ft of the smaller version. It stuns the victim for longer - a full 20 seconds. Taser describes potential side-effects on their website including: "Involuntary strong muscle contractions."

Cops 'excited' by tasers

July 17, 2010
Sky News

COPS hunting for Raoul Moat were "excited" by the arrival of new Tasers just hours before they entered a stand-off with the fugitive gunman, according to witnesses. Onlookers described seeing the weapons being handed out to officers who they said then practised firing them at rubbish sacks.

Killer Moat, 37, died after shooting himself in the early hours of last Saturday morning at the end of a six-hour stand-off in the village of Rothbury, Northumberland.

It followed a week-long manhunt for the steroid-abusing father-of-three, who killed karate instructor Chris Brown, 29, and wounded his former girlfriend Sam Stobbart, 22 and PC David Rathband, 42.

Moat went on the rampage after Sam said she had left him for another man.

She watched as he blasted her new boyfriend to death before turning his gun on her.

Earlier this week, the opening of the inquest into Moat's death heard two Tasers were fired at him around the same time as the fatal shot.

Two firearms officers from West Yorkshire Police fired XRep Tasers, which were not approved by the government, the inquest was told.

The weapon, which is fired from a 12-gauge shotgun, is being tested by the Home Office before being approved for use by police forces in England and Wales.

But the Home Office stressed police could use any weapon they saw fit as long as its use was "lawful, reasonable and proportionate".

Workers on an industrial estate where police officers set up their Moat operation base said they saw boxes of Tasers arriving in a van at 11am on Friday last week.

Jason Potts told Sky News: "They came in a plain cardboard box, a brown cardboard box, and in that there was three other boxes."

Asked what the officers said when they saw the delivery, he replied: "'We've been waiting for these for a while, we're getting them now, what a coincidence.'

"They all seemed excited for them, you know."

Mr Potts said police fired training rounds into rubbish bags before returning to the van to sign forms.

"Eventually the van went away and they were all left with these guns," he added.

Moat was spotted at 7.25pm on Friday July 9 in the Riverside park area of Rothbury.

Armed police and negotiators stayed at the scene until Moat's gun went off at 1.12am the following morning.

He was formally declared dead in hospital at 2.22am.

The matter was referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission by Northumbria Police.

The force said it would be "inappropriate to comment" on the Tasers while the IPCC investigation was ongoing.

West Yorkshire Police said it was also unable to comment due to the investigation.

Tasers fired at gunman Raoul Moat 'not approved'

July 14, 2010
BBC News

The Taser stun guns used by officers attempting to stop gunman Raoul Moat from killing himself did not have Home Office approval, it has emerged.

An inquest into the 37-year-old's death heard two officers from West Yorkshire police fired the stun guns at him.

The XREP Tasers used are still undergoing tests however the government has said forces have discretion to use any equipment they deem necessary.

Moat died after a six-hour stand-off in Rothbury, Northumberland, on Saturday.

Details of the use of the Tasers were revealed during the opening of the inquest into Moat's death. The inquest was later adjourned.

A spokesperson for West Yorkshire Police said the officers involved have not been suspended from firearms duties and have returned to work.

Newcastle coroner David Mitford said Moat died as a result of a gunshot wound to the head.

Code of practice

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said in a statement that officers had used a long range XREP Taser - which has a range of about 100ft (30m) and operates without wires.

A Home Office spokesman said the XREP Tasers were "currently subject to testing by the HOSDB (Home Office Scientific Development Branch)".

He added: "However, legally, police forces have discretion to use any equipment they see fit as long as the use of force is lawful, reasonable and proportionate.

"The process for approval of less lethal weapons is set out in a Home Office code of practice document on police use of firearms which chief constables must 'have regard to'."

It is not clear whether the Tasers were fired before or after Moat apparently shot himself, Independent Police Complaints Commission investigator Steve Reynolds told the hearing at Newcastle Civic Centre.

He said: "At 1.12am Mr Moat's shotgun discharged, resulting in him receiving fatal injuries.

"At some point around the time of the fatal shot two West Yorkshire firearms officers armed with Tasers discharged their weapons at Mr Moat.

"This was understood to have been in an effort to prevent Mr Moat taking his own life."

**SNIP**

Controversy grows as Taser expands scope

Ocotber 5, 2008
CTV News

Andy Greenberg, Forbes.com

Sitting idle, the Taser Shockwave looks like a waist-high rack of square green teeth. But press a button, and those teeth--six electrified cartridges tethered by 25-foot wires--shoot out in a 20-degree arc. Inch-long probes emitting 50,000 volts of electricity pierce through clothing and skin. If a human being is in their path, his or her muscles immediately flex and lock involuntarily.

Use Shockwave defensively to create a perimeter around rioters, as police demonstrated in a training exercise on California's Treasure Island earlier this month, and a mob of unruly individuals can be corralled into a corner. Or fire the device into a crowd, and several targets go down in a temporarily paralyzed heap.

Shockwave, set to be deployed sometime in 2009, is one of several powerful new "less-lethal" devices coming closer to being used in the real world, as opposed to just test situations. And it's not the only experimental toy soon to be sold by Phoenix-based Taser International. Other products being tested by the company include a taser shell that can be fired from any shotgun and a taser laminate film that can electrify the surface of a traditional riot shield.

From Taser's perspective, these science-fiction-like weapons are new and more effective ways to control dangerous situations without using deadly force. But in the eyes of the company's critics, Taser is expanding the scope of a controversial technology that has yet to be proven safe.

Taser's Extended-Range Electronic Projectile (XREP), for instance, is the first electrically incapacitating weapon that can be fired from a gun. Unlike Taser's older products, which shoot an electrically charged cartridge tethered by a 25-foot wire, the XREP is designed to be loaded into a normal firearm. After it's fired from the gun's barrel, small fins extend that cause the cartridge to spin like a rifle round and fly accurately up to 100 feet.

When the XREP shell hits someone, short probes pierce his or her skin or clothing. A metal barb attached by a wire falls out from the back of the capsule to create another point of contact on the target's body, unleashing an electrical current through the body's muscles and causing them to spasm. If the target grabs at the XREP round and touches the wire, it routes another jolt of current through the clutching hand.

Violent as the new devices may sound, Taser argues that the XREP and Shockwave both hold the promise of defusing a wider range of dangerous situations than ever before without resorting to lethal force or putting police in dangerous situations. "Police officers are paid to enforce the law, not to get hurt," says Taser spokesman Steve Tuttle. "Police need this. That's why we've survived the controversy around our products."

But Dalia Hashad, director of human rights for Amnesty International in the U.S., calls the weapons "something out of a bad video game." She argues that the Shockwave and XREP are unproven technologies that could be used indiscriminately.

Since U.S. police first began using tasers in 2000, 350 people have died in police custody after being stunned by the devices, according to Amnesty International's count. In 40 of those cases, tasers were listed by the coroner as a possible cause of death, Hashad says, and in many cases, the victim was elderly, under the influence of drugs or mentally ill.

Those kinds of victims are the most likely to suffer injuries from being stunned, she adds. And trying to discern when a taser should be used appropriately becomes complicated when a taser's range is extended or the Shockwave is fired at multiple targets. "There's no individual assessment," Hashad says. "We're asking police to consider whether someone they're about to 'tase' is an appropriate candidate given all the risks. How can they do that for six people at once?"

She adds that the XREP's default setting delivers a 20-second shock, compared with the five-second shock of a traditional taser. That kind of prolonged incapacitation, she argues, is typically the most likely to lead to injuries or deaths. "It raises very significant questions about how the length of the shock time affects the human body," she says.

Taser recently suffered a public-relations blow when a jury found the company partially liable for the death of 40-year-old Robert Heston, a Salinas, Calif., resident who suffered a heart attack and died after being tased three times. The company was ordered to pay $6.2 million to Heston's family. That case was the only lawsuit that Taser has lost of the 75 suits brought against the company, though others have been settled out of court.

Taser spokesman Tuttle flatly denies that anyone has ever died from being tased. Heston, he points out, was under the influence of methamphetamines, and the jury determined that Taser was only partially responsible for his death. Tuttle also argues that the coroner reports Amnesty International refers to only imply that a taser "wasn't ruled out" as a cause of death.

In fact, Tuttle says that the taser's electrical current is as painful as static shock from a door knob. "It doesn't hurt," says Tuttle, who's been tased himself several times. "Don't get me wrong, it's uncomfortable. It kind of feels like hitting your funny bone 18 times per second throughout your whole body."

And the question of whether devices like XREP and Shockwave will mean tasers are used less discriminately? "No one conducts a field interview before applying a taser," Tuttle says. "The situation must meet police-department requirements and use-of-force guidelines, or it's a civil rights violation. That's how it's always been deployed against suspects in dangerous situations."

Taser International, of course, isn't the only one developing new, controversial less-lethal weapons. The military's Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Program (JNLWP) is testing a variety of new ways to stun and incapacitate enemy combatants including "flash-bang" grenades that create noise and light to disorient targets, as well as a two-foot diameter laser that can temporarily blind a vehicle's driver at around 600 feet. The so-called Active Denial System, a heat ray that can make targets feel as if their skin is catching fire without actually inflicting damage, is also under development.

But even the military, which has used traditional tasers in the field since 2004, has doubts about Taser International's new toys. "We're doing a lot of testing to make sure they don't kill people," says John Keenan, the JNLWP's director of science and technology. "We have to understand the health effects associated with them. If we're calling something a non-lethal weapon, we have to make sure it's not lethal."

Police shocker: the taser is here to stay

February 9, 2008
HENRY AUBIN, Montreal Gazette

The videotape of RCMP officers' gratuitous and fatal use of a Taser against a man in Vancouver last fall prompted a nationwide eruption of public horror over police forces' use of this weapon. In the wake of that incident, many law-enforcement officials have voiced concern and reviewed their use. So, problem over, right? Wrong.

Don't let officialdom's regretful tone fool you. Now that the Vancouver affair has blown over, Tasers are creeping back in much of the country.

Let's start with Quebec. Although the incidents drew little attention because they were not videotaped, two men died in Quebec last year in the days after police shot them with the electric-shock device. Quebec City police tasered a 32-year-old translator, Claudio Castagnetta, after they stopped him for loitering and, according to witnesses, he resisted being placed in a patrol car by making his body rigid. And in Montreal Police tasered 38-year-old Quilem Registre after they stopped him for erratic driving and, they say, he became aggressive.

Quebec's public security ministry, which oversees police forces across the province, issued a report on Tasers in mid-December. The ministry immediately accepted all the report's recommendations for restricting the police's use of Tasers, but those restrictions are slight.

For example, the province's earlier rules, apparently ignored by the officers who zapped Castagnetta with impunity, barred tasering people who were only "passively resisting" arrest. The new rules says officers can use the Taser on people whose "resistance represents a significant risk to the safety of the officer or anyone else." Despite the change in wording, the versions differ little in their practical application.

Indeed, the new rules also say officers should assess a person's "potential for violence." The word "potential" is a loophole giving officers' enormous discretionary power. Officers might claim after the fact that even mild-mannered individuals had given them reason to believe they would become aggressive.

The report also cavalierly dismissed France's practice of clipping a camera (made by the Taser's manufacturer) onto the weapon and recording all the action in video and audio. The report says current training "conditions police to place their hands (on the Taser) in a way that would obstruct the camera's view." Evidently, it would be too much to change the training.

The panel that wrote the report had 26 members and associates, of whom 25 are from the world of law enforcement - that is, from the the police departments, the police academy or the ministry. (The exception is a doctor employed by the province.) So much for taking into account the broad public interest.

Incidentally, Montreal could set tougher rules for its own force. So far, however, the Tremblay administration has given no sign of concern.

Elsewhere in Canada, it's much the same lethargy. After the Vancouver incident, the Commission for Public Complaints against the RCMP made recommendations for changes. The RCMP, however, rejected a key one: The elevation of Tasers from the category of "intermediate weapon," a relatively humdrum status that includes pepper spray, to the serious category of "impact weapon." If Tasers were in the latter group, they could be used only against people who are "combative" or otherwise dangerous.

In New Brunswick, police chiefs ordered a review of Taser use, and have concluded no substantive changes are needed.

As for Toronto, its police chief is certainly demanding change - but it's not in the direction that reformers would like. He wants to buy 500 additional Tasers.

The devices are supposed to be substitutes for firearms. Too often they are substitutes for talk.

In Montreal, a coalition of critics that includes two councillors from the city's ruling party - Warren Allmand and Marvin Rotrand - is asking to suspend the use of Tasers until impartial research is in on how these 50,000-volt guns affect people with various health problems or who are high on drugs. Twenty people in Canada have died after being tasered, says Amnesty. If governments require the pharmaceutical industry to test its wares for health effects before selling them, why not ask the same of Taser International? By the way, the company is poised to launch later this year a new model that will make the current one look like a peashooter. The current handgun-style model zaps people as far away as eight metres. The new model is a 12-gauge shotgun with a range of 30 metres.

Unless politicians suddenly wake up, we ain't seen nothing yet.

Amnesty International USA raises safety concerns about the taser shotgun

February 7, 2008
George McGinn - AHN

New York, N.Y. (AHN) - A new Taser shotgun capable of firing untethered rounds has raised the same unresolved concerns Amnesty International USA has with conventional Tasers. Larry Cox, executive director of Amnesty International USA, issued a statement in response to the introduction of the Mossberg Taser X12 LLS shotgun, which he said fires an "eXtended Range Electronic Projectile" capable of delivering an electrical shock to a target.

The XREP, which is not tethered to the gun, can be fired up to 65 feet, doubling the distance of traditional Tasers. "This weapon should not be introduced into the field before comprehensive, independent medical research on its safety has been completed," Cox said. "Using this shotgun before there is adequate research is putting the cart before the horse, with public safety the potential loser."

Cox said more than 290 people have died in the United States after being shocked with traditional Tasers. And according to a statement filed with the U.S. Justice Department inquiring into deaths in custody, out of 291 cases, Amnesty International has identified only 25 people who were reportedly armed with any sort of a weapon when they were electro-shocked. Such weapons did not include firearms.

"This should be a time to examine why these deaths are happening, not to experiment with newfangled ways to use the technology," he said.

The XREP's projectile has a 20-second default shock time, which is four times longer than that of the traditional device. "Most people who have died after being stunned with regular Tasers were subject to multiple or prolonged shocks," Cox said. "This new technology also raises medical questions about how electroshock interacts with the blunt impact of a powerful projectile."

According to Taser International's Web site, its proprietary new radial ammunition key technology prevents the system from accepting lethal 12 gauge rounds, eliminating the possibility of loading lethal ammunition during high stress situations.

Taser's press kit states that "Taser technology saves lives every day and numerous independent medical studies conclude that Taser Electronic Control Devices (ECDs) are the among the safest and most effective use-of-force options available. Taser technology dramatically reduces injury rates to suspects and officers, thereby lowering liability risk and improving officer safety and community security."

Amnesty International concerned by safety implications of taser shotgun

February 1, 2008
PRNewswire-USNewswire

Larry Cox, executive director of Amnesty International USA, released the below statement today in response to the introduction of the TASER X12 LLS Mossberg(r) shotgun, which fires an eXtended Range Electronic Projectile (XREP) that can deliver an electrical shock to a target. The XREP, which is not tethered to the gun, can be fired at a distance of up to 65 feet -- approximately double the range of traditional TASERs.

"The electroshock shotgun raises similar unresolved safety questions as traditional TASERs, but introduces new concerns, as well. This weapon should not be introduced into the field before comprehensive, independent medical research on its safety has been completed. Using this shotgun before there is adequate research is putting the cart before the horse -- with public safety the potential loser.

"More than 290 people have died in the United States after being shocked with TASERs. This should be a time to examine why these deaths are happening, not to experiment with newfangled ways to use the technology.

"The XREP's 20-second default shock time -- four times longer than that of the traditional device -- is worrying. Most people who have died after being stunned with regular TASERs were subject to multiple or prolonged shocks.

"This new technology also raises medical questions about how electroshock interacts with the blunt impact of a powerful projectile."

New shotgun taser coming, safety committee told

January 30, 2008
Sue Bailey, THE CANADIAN PRESS

OTTAWA – Coming soon to a police force near you: the Taser shotgun, capable of firing a debilitating electronic zap from 20 metres – twice the reach of current 50,000-volt stun guns. Taser International chairman Tom Smith described the new weapon as he took tough questions Wednesday from MPs studying the safety of his company's devices. Taser shotguns are being tested in the U.S. and will likely be available by next year, he said. Police forces all over the world, including Canada, have expressed interest.

Smith appeared before the Commons all-party public safety committee probing events around the death Oct. 14 of Robert Dziekanski. The agitated Polish immigrant died soon after being shocked and subdued by RCMP officers at the Vancouver airport. His ordeal, caught on videotape by a civilian witness, unleashed international outrage.

Smith was repeatedly pressed by Liberal and Bloc MPs on whether police should only use Tasers as a last resort before firing their guns. "I'm going to rely on use-of-force experts who say: 'You don't take a Taser to a gun fight'," Smith replied. He said the idea that Tasers are a last resort before the use of lethal force is a widespread misunderstanding of mysterious origin. "Our position has always been that it's an intermediate device . . . similar to pepper spray or the baton. It's not a substitute for a firearm and was never intended as such."

There are now more than 6,500 Tasers in use across Canada by police and correctional officers.

Liberal MP Ujjal Dosanjh, former attorney general of B.C., said he was given a much different sales pitch nine years ago when the province was grappling with whether to adopt the new stun guns. "I was told this would be a weapon of last resort before the gun," he told reporters. "The policing community at least gave me the assurance, if I remember correctly . . . that it would be used sparingly."

Reports of "usage creep" – including that delivered last month by the Commission for Complaints Against the RCMP – are feeding concern that Tasers are being abused on even passive suspects with sometimes deadly results, Dosanjh said. He wasn't convinced by Smith's claims Wednesday that there is no direct link between Tasers and the deaths of 16 Canadians soon after they were zapped. Two more cases, including Dziekanski's, are still under review. "They don't have any conclusive Canadian scientific studies," Dosanjh said. Nor are there cross-country statistics on how often police are using the weapons, or how injuries to police and suspects have been affected.

Smith said any risk posed by the devices is far outweighed by the decreased risk to police and suspects. He said he has heard from police officers around the globe: "Thank you for this tool. I didn't have to get hurt." Smith repeatedly described the Taser as "one tool in the tool box. There's no perfect solution." But for those with lingering concerns, there is a sure-fire way not to have to deal with stun guns or police force of any kind, he added: "Don't fight with police."

Smith and his brother loved the Star Wars movies growing up and designed the Taser after two friends were shot in a "crazy road-rage incident," he told MPs. "My brother and I started our company with the mission of protecting life."

But the deaths of about 280 Americans soon after they were Tasered has kept company lawyers busy to the tune of about $5 million in yearly legal fees, he said. Smith stressed that the Taser has never been directly blamed for a death, although it has been cited as a contributing factor in 30 cases.

Amnesty International Canada and other critics have called for Taser use to be suspended until an independent, comprehensive study is done on health effects.

The RCMP directed its officers last month to use the Taser only on people who actively resist them. The Mounties describe stun guns as intermediate weapons but have stressed it's wrong to zap a person for passively resisting officers by acting like dead weight, or making an officer lift, pull, drag or push them to maintain control.

MPs are expected to hear from the RCMP, customs officials and airport workers before drafting a report to Parliament. The committee's work is in addition to a B.C. public inquiry and several other reviews of the circumstances surrounding Dziekanski's death.