Hampshire Police are set to receive around 67 new tasers, worth around £55,275, in their attempts to combat crime.
The tasers were approved by the Home Office as a worthwhile purchase following a new £10 million fund budgeted by the latest Government. Nationally, applications for an increase in the use of tasers has been made to the region of £6.5 million pounds, a third of the budget set aside for Police equipment increases. Provisions have also been made to increase training of taser instructors, which will look to ensure that their usage is necessary and correct.
John Apter, National Chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales, has said:
Taser is an essential piece of equipment which has saved many police officers and members of the public from serious injury or worse.
Last year, the use of tasers in Hampshire increased by 158 to more than 200, 18 of these resulting in the devices being deployed to prevent suspects from causing further public harm.
