Done By Law

Fatal mistake? VicPolice taser trials: 27 March 2010

In February this year Victoria Police announced a trial of taser stun guns in Bendigo and Morwell. The trial will start in July 2010 and run for a year. Currently, only two specialist police units, the Special Operations Group and Critical Incident Response Teams, part of the Force Response Unit are authorised to use tasers. Previously both former Police Commissioner Nixon and current Commissioner Overland had ruled out the expansion of tasers to general duty police. Therefore this trial represents a signifcant shift in the manner in which police can deploy force.

In 2009 an Office of Police Integrity report which investigated Victoria Police’s use of force recommended that officers not be given taser stun guns. There are substantial dangers that tasers can kill or harm if used on vulnerable groups, such a young people, people with heart conditions, people experiecing mental illness, or if the taser is used in particular ways. The data suggests around 73% of taser use in Victoria was against people in mental health crises and that 85% of subjects were affected by prescription or illegal drugs. Evidence from overseas and increasingly from Australia suggests that tasers are prone to misuse. 

Done By Law discusses these trials with Emma Ryan, a Monash University lecturer and PhD researcher.