Taser oversight should be taken out of police hands

Commenting on the current investigation of police action in using a stun gun against a man in Oxford Street Sydney three months ago Ms Hale said it was very disturbing that the camera had been obscured.

“When I questioned the Police Minister last week about Tasers he told the parliament that:

“Each time a taser is pulled out and activated, it records every word that is said and every vision. That is all recorded automatically.”  The Minister’s statement to parliament is obviously incorrect. The vision can be obscured, either accidentally or intentionally,” Ms Hale said.

“Tasers can be lethal weapons,” Ms Hale said. “They have killed hundreds of people overseas and been associated with at least three deaths in Australia. The North American experience shows that giving stun guns to general duties police with inadequate training and no independent oversight will see a significant increase in the death rate.”

“Every time a stun gun is drawn the footage should be reviewed by an independent body like the Police Integrity Commission. Disciplinary action should be considered in any situation where a police officer deliberately or negligently impedes the camera recording the action.”

“The standard operating procedures must also be reviewed as recommended by the Ombudsman. There should be no further roll out of Tasers under the current operating and oversight procedures,” Ms Hale concluded.