Taser Trial 'Should Be Extended'

A trial allowing trained Jersey police officers to use a taser at their discretion could be extended by another 18 months.

The Home Affairs Minister wants their expanded use to continue, but Scrutiny still has concerns.

The States voted in 2020 to trial for a year extending the use of tasers beyond solely firearms officers to others who had received specialist training.

The test period ran for eight months from last March, with tasers drawn 22 times and fired three times during that period.

Deputy Gregory Guida says extending the current arrangement will give the police the correct tools to do their job and keep us all safe.

"It is clear from this trial that concerns around a sharp increase in the use of [tasers] by [the States of Jersey Police] under the new deployment model have not materialised. Rather, [they have used tasers] with professionalism and discretion, and in compliance with best practice, to protect the public and ensure officer safety."

But the Children, Education and Home Affairs Panel thinks the trial taking place during the pandemic may not accurately reflect normal life in Jersey.

It's also worried about police officers with tasers going to incidents alone and the impact of tasers on the perception of policing in Jersey.

The panel says extending the trial again would allow more data to be gathered 'during more normal circumstances, should the Covid-19 position continue to improve.'

Panel Chairman Deputy Rob Ward says a longer trial is the right course of action:

"We feel we need a wider range of information before the decision is made.

This should be seen as an opportunity to really understand why taser is being used in our population, the reasons why - and we think it can help with policing in the long-term as well. I think this is a positive step to look to extend the trial. 

We don't want to leave the (next) Assembly with a decision that was made that won't necessarily have the information behind it that many members might want. So by doing this it extends the trial period and gives the decision to the next Assembly with as much information as possible."

In January Police Chief Robin Smith have evidence to the scrutiny panel saying he didn't believe extending the trial period was necessary.