Northamptonshire Police chief claims Taser saved officer's life
- Published
Northamptonshire Police chief constable Nick Adderley said it had been a "no-brainer" to equip officers with Tasers
A police officer who used a Taser to stop a man strangling a colleague "saved his life," according to his chief constable.
Northamptonshire Police's Nick Adderley said the incident at the weekend meant any debate over whether officers should carry Tasers "ends right here".
In 2019, Mr Adderley decided to issue every frontline officer with the electric stun weapon.
He said: "Officers deserve all the protection we can give them."
In a tweet, external, Mr Adderley said the officer had been "forced to the ground and strangled".
"Thank goodness his colleague had Taser, which saved his life," he added.
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In a second tweet, external, Mr Adderley said: "The argument of 'necessity' to issue Taser to every officer who wants one, ends right here.
"Today I may well have been speaking to the next of kin of my officer, delivering devastating news."
Speaking to BBC Radio Northampton on Tuesday, Mr Adderley said the officers had been called to an incident in the north of Northamptonshire to find a "heavily intoxicated" man.
When they tried to arrest him he "set upon the officers and pinned one to the ground", he said.
"This was a large individual and he was strangling the officer to the point the accompanying officer could not get that individual off him.
"The only thing that stopped the officer from being more seriously injured and potentially killed was the discharge of the Taser."
A total of 328 officers in Northamptonshire Police routinely carry Tasers, said Mr Adderley
Mr Adderley called his decision to equip officers with Tasers "a no-brainer", adding that 328 Northamptonshire Police officers now carry the weapon routinely.
The force had seen 609 officers injured on duty in the past year, he said, adding: "Those officers invariably go off sick and are not able to protect the public.
"I am not in favour of arming the police service, but I think Taser has been proven as a deterrent and an effective piece of equipment to protect the officer and the public."
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