Taser Use To Be Extended

Now any officer (even if they are not firearms specialists) can carry these weapons according to the BBC. These weapons, capable of dishing out 50,000 volts, will be made available your average bobby. As Mike Blakemore of Amnesty International says:

"You need trained firearms officers who not only know how to fire a Taser but know when to fire a Taser.

"These are potentially very dangerous weapons. Firearms officers undergo continuous training. I understand they undergo training for real life situations.

"And they undergo repeated training every month to keep them up to date. What we don't know is exactly what the nature of the training is that non-firearms officers will receive.

"And we're concerned that it won't be up to the same standard."

Even former Scotland Yard commander John O' Connor has reservations:

"I think the notion of giving these guns, these Taser guns, out indiscriminately to untrained officers - because it's a non-lethal option - they're going to run the risk of these things being used far too indiscriminately."

That police state is coming along nicely then.