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OTTAWA - Canada's national police force, criticized for excessive use of Tasers, said on Friday that officers would from now on only fire the electric stun guns at suspects who are combative or resisting arrest.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police policy change was prompted by widespread outrage over the death of a Polish immigrant at the Vancouver, British Columbia, airport in October.
Robert Dziekanski died after police used Tasers and then restrained him - an incident captured on film and broadcast around the world. He had been slowly moving away from police when hit by the Taser blasts.
The Taser stun gun, also known as a conducted energy weapon (CEW), incapacitates people through a 50,000-volt jolt of electricity. Police say they are a needed nonlethal alternative to firearms.
"RCMP policy will be amended to more clearly define use of force terminology and limit the use of CEWs to situations where a subject is displaying combative behaviors or is being actively resistant," the Mounties said in a statement.
"An operational bulletin outlining these policy amendments was issued today. These changes will also be incorporated in all future CEW training initiatives."
Earlier this week the commission for public complaints against the force said Tasers should be reclassified as an "impact weapon" that would allow their use only when the target is an immediate threat.
Friday's statement said the force continued to believe the Taser was an effective tool. It also vowed to gather more information about every instance of its use.
"Members of the RCMP are being reminded that the RCMP use of force policies, which include use of CEWs, must be the basis for all interventions involving the use of force and that members will continue to be held accountable for the decisions and actions they take," the statement said.
Taser International Inc., the maker of the weapon, says there is no scientific proof the gun has caused any deaths and that it has won and had dismissed more than 60 wrongful death and injury lawsuits filed against it.
- REUTERS
