Hampshire and Thames Valley police begin Tasers upgrade

Two police forces have begun an upgrade of their Taser devices.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary and Thames Valley Police will be rolling out the new Taser 7 over the next 12 months.

They will replace the existing X2 models and have two cartridges suitable for use at different distances.

The forces said officers would have "comprehensive training and continual refresher training" to ensure they were used "lawfully and appropriately".

Assistant Chief Constable Rob France said Tasers have an important part to play in policing

Assistant Chief Constable Rob France, responsible for the two forces' Joint Operations Unit, said: "Ensuring the safety of all in our communities, in particular the most vulnerable, is a key priority, and Taser has an important part to play in this.

"Of course, we will always do all we can to resolve a situation without needing to use force, however, there are occasions when we must do so for the safety of the public, to ensure the safety of ourselves, or for the safety of the person involved in the incident."

Conductive energy devices - known by their brand name, Taser - fire a high-voltage shock to temporarily disable a suspect, and are often used to deal with violent or potentially violent people at a distance.

They were introduced in the UK in 2003, initially limited to firearms officers.

The BBC filmed officers training to use the new kit

Their use was extended in 2008 to non-firearms officers who complete the required training.

Last year, Thames Valley Police said it backed government plans to issue the weapons to volunteer officers.

Figures published by the two forces show Tasers were discharged by police a total of 40 times in the first two months of 2023 across Isle of Wight, Hampshire, Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire.

The Taser 7, which is said to be more effective than previous models, was launched in 2018 and approved for use by the Home Office in 2020.