Boy, 11, Tasered by police after knife stand-off in South Ayrshire

An 11-year-old boy armed with a knife was Tasered by police during a stand-off in South Ayrshire, it has emerged.

Police Scotland confirmed the incident took place on 22 March at the Craig Tara caravan park, near Ayr.

Footage published by the Scottish Sun shows several officers asking the boy to put down the weapon before one of them fires the 50,000-volt stun gun.

The incident had been referred to the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (Pirc).

Police Scotland said the situation "was resolved with no serious injuries".

The video shows the schoolboy being approached by at least four officers, one of whom is pointing a Taser at the child. He appears to be holding a knife and a mobile phone.

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The officers can be heard asking him to put down the knife and "do the right thing" but the boy backs away from them.

One officer asks him: "What do you want do with the knife?"

But the child continues to retreat and tells them to "stay back".

The police officer with the stun gun then discharges the weapon.

All Taser discharges in Scotland are automatically referred for investigation

The Police Scotland website describes Tasers as a useful tool to protect people from violence or threats of violence where other more traditional methods such as physical restraint could result in injury to the person or officers.

Their use on children, however, is controversial, and the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child has called for a ban.

The office of the Children's and Young People's Commissioner in Scotland expressed concern at the footage.

Nick Hobbs, head of advice and investigations, said: "Tasers are potentially lethal and inflict severe pain which creates significant risk for children. 

"Human rights bodies, including the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, have long called on Scotland to ban the use of Tasers on children, highlighting the serious risk of physical and psychological harm such weapons pose. 

"We remain seriously concerned about Tasers' use in situations where there may be more effective and safer ways to de-escalate high-pressured situations."

The incident took place at the Craig Tara holiday park near Ayr

In 2021 Police Scotland revealed plans for a four-fold increase in Taser officers in response to a rising number of assaults on frontline staff.

The force confirmed Specially Trained Officers (STO) numbers would increase from about 500 to 2,000 by 2024.

All incidents where a Taser is discharged are referred to Pirc.

A spokesperson for Pirc said: "We are investigating the circumstances, and once our investigations are complete a report will be issued to the chief constable."

A national advisory group on Taser use in Scotland was set up in February 2022 , and includes children's rights representatives.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Officers attended a disturbance involving an 11-year-old boy in possession of a knife at Craig Tara Caravan Park near Ayr around 11.15pm on Wednesday, 22 March.

"The incident was resolved with no serious injuries. It was contained and there was no risk to the wider public.

"A Taser was discharged during this incident. As part of standard procedure, the circumstances of the incident were referred to the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner."

David Threadgold, chairman of the Scottish Police Federation, said all officers who carried Tasers were specially trained to do so.

He added: "They will run through dynamic risk assessments as they are dealing with a particular set of circumstances, and they will ultimately make a decision which they believe they can justify to keep people safe."

A spokesperson from Haven, which runs Craig Tara caravan park, said: "We are aware that a serious and isolated incident occurred at our Craig Tara site in March. We fully cooperated with the police at the time and as this is now a matter for the authorities, we are unable to comment further."