Taser X26 Operational Trial

New Zealand Police are conducting a trial of an electro-muscular incapacitation (EMI) device called the Taser X26.

This trial will run from September 2006 to August 2007 in the following Police Districts:

• Waitematā District,
• Auckland City District,
• Counties Manukau District, and
• Wellington District (including the Wairarapa).

The duration of the trial will ensure the capture of sufficient information to enable full assessment and analysis of the risks and benefits of the taser within the New Zealand operating environment.

The focus of the trial is to establish if Police tactics and equipment are the most effective, and least likely to endanger the safety of the public, police staff or offenders when dealing with violent offenders.

Top

Operating environment

• Police arrest 110,000 people a year
• 70% of arrests in weekends are of people affected by drink and or drugs.
• 25,000 disorder offences each year where an element of aggression is often involved
• 50,000 instances of family violence each year,
• 2,000 recorded instances of assaults on Police
• nearly 10% of people arrested have used methamphetamine within the last 48 hours.
• Each year police take around 16,000 people into custody for detox, a majority of these persons are aggressive.
• Police deal with over 6,500 cases of people exhibiting irrational or bizarre behaviour many of whom are volatile or at the very least unpredictable.

Top

Taser use by New Zealand Police

The taser will not be routinely carried by police officers.

Police officers must obtain authorisation from their supervisor or notify the communications centre prior to the carriage of a taser at an incident.

When considering the use of a taser, the police officer must have an honest belief that the subject, by age, size, apparent physical ability, threats made, or a combination of these, is capable of carrying out the threat posed. In this circumstance, Police may only use the taser to:

• Defend themselves, or others, if they fear physical injury to themselves, or others, and they cannot reasonably protect themselves, or others, less forcefully, or
• Arrest an offender if they believe on reasonable grounds that the offender poses a threat of physical injury and the arrest cannot be effected less forcefully, or
• Resolve an incident where a person is acting in a manner likely to physically injure themselves and the incident cannot be resolved less forcefully, or
• Prevent the escape of an offender if they believe on reasonable grounds that the offender poses a threat of physical injury to any person, and the escape cannot be prevented less forcefully, or
• Deter attacking animals.

The taser can be used by Police when dealing with:

• Unarmed (or lightly armed) but highly aggressive people,
• Individuals displaying irrational or bizarre behaviour, and
• People under the influence of mind altering substances, solvents or alcohol.

Top

About the Taser X26

The Taser X26 is a single shot laser sighted device whose application can be achieved through:

• Discharging of a air cartridge at the subject - The Taser delivers an electrical current to the subject by means of probes attached to insulated wires,
• Direct application to the subject - The Taser delivers electrical current to the subject by means of contacts contained on the device.

The optimum operating distance is between 2 - 5 metres. The maximum range is the length of the wires that carry the current and attach the probes to the device.

An EMI device relies upon physiological effects other than pain to achieve its objective. It delivers a sequence of high voltage low amperage, short duration pulses over a five-second cycle. The effects of application of the device are likely to be instantaneous incapacitation of the subject, which renders them incapable of continuing any activity. The likely result is that the subject will immediately collapse to the ground. The effect of incapacitation will only remain as long as the electrical charge is being activated. There is no known long term after effects to exposure.