Editorial: Police should carry Taser

Sergeant Alan Reece demonstrates the new police two-shot Taser X2. Picture / Mark Mitchell

Every country battles with crime, but I'd like to think New Zealand is still relatively safe.

I'm glad our police don't carry guns on a regular basis.

I fully support them having access to guns in situations where officers believe there is a real threat to their safety, but for routine patrols there is no need.

Tasers are very different in my view.

The case of an experienced police officer who was strangled "nearly to point of unconsciousness" by a motorist he pulled over in Manukau this week has brought the issue of Tasers back into the spotlight.

The Police Association has since renewed its calls for all officers to carry Tasers while on frontline duty.

I don't see a problem with that.

Police officers are faced with violence and dangerous situations regularly.

They work to keep us safe.

They deal with people at their worst. Surely we should be allowing them to carry the tools to protect themselves.

Pepper spray and batons can only be used at close range. By that stage I imagine it's often too late.

You could argue Tasers might even do less damage than a baton. A solid bash in the head has the potential to do more long-term damage than a Taser would do in most instances.

For the most part, Tasers are pretty safe. They will stop an offender in their tracks but are unlikely to do any serious damage.

There have been instances where Tasing has lead to death but it's far safer than using a gun. We do have to trust police to use the weapon responsibly and sensibly.

Hopefully, we can trust the vast majority of those who are employed to protect us.

Requiring police officers to be shocked by a Taser before they are allowed to carry them seems like a good scheme.

It gives officers an idea of just how painful it is and will hopefully make them think twice before firing one.

I imagine people's reaction to having a Taser pointed at them would be the same as if a real gun was pointed at them and would cause most to back down. We need to support our police and allow them to better protect themselves.