Scrutiny of the Policing and Crime Bill
Inclusion London made a short submission to the Joint Committee on Human Rights regarding the legislative scrutiny of the Policing and Crime Bill.
We raised concerns with the committee regarding the use of tasers on patients in psychiatric wards and highlighted that the UN Committee Against Torture noted that:
The use of these weapons causes severe pain constituting a form of torture, and that in some cases may even cause death, as recent developments have shown (arts.1 and 16). The State party should consider relinquishing the use of electric “Taser X26” weapons, the impact of which on the physical and mental state of targeted persons would appear to violate articles 1 and 16 of the Convention.[1]
Also the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture has recommended that:
the use of EDW (electrical-discharge weapon) should be limited to situations where there is a real and immediate threat to life or risk of serious injury. Recourse to such weapons for the sole purpose of securing compliance with an order is inadmissible.’[2]
According to the Metropolitan police, ‘A Taser is a less-lethal single shot weapon used by MPS officers to temporarily incapacitate a suspect through the use of an electrical current.’[3] Patients in psychiatric wards are not criminals and should not be treated as such by being subject to the use of a taser while in hospital.
Hospitals are supposed to be safe places for patients on psychiatric wards. It is highly inappropriate for tasers to be used on unarmed, distressed or disturbed patients, no matter the situation. If other patients or staff are at risk, means other than the use of tasers should be used to protect them.
[1] http://www.weaponslaw.org/weapons/projectile-electric-shock-weapons-tasers
[2] http://www.weaponslaw.org/weapons/projectile-electric-shock-weapons-tasers