Police introduce stun guns

Police in England and Wales are to start carrying a controversial electronic stun gun that will knock out suspects.

BBC News article

they say that the police are getting these stun guns to help cut down fatal shootings by armed officers. But didn't the UK police get tranquilliser gun's for exactly the same reason.
The government's Less Lethal Technology group is also liaising with police on finding other weapons they can use. Whats going on? Even having a "Less Lethal Technology Group" makes you think it's not just to cut down fatal shootings by armed officers.




[Edited on 18-4-2003 by clive]

Thats pretty neat, over here we have the same exact thing exept woman and old ladies carry them.

And they have proven to be quite ineffective...

A Colt 1911A1 .45 will take care of any of your problems in this area!

What about the armed criminals that still can shoot the officers with reall ammunition? I think that if you are a criminal it is taken for granted that you are running a risk of being shot at.

than tranquilizers...(they were actually using tranquilizers? Geez...if I ever turn criminal, I'm going to England! I'm assuming this is all to capture a prisoner who is not displaying lethal threat? (i.e. brandishing a gun, knife, etc.) Once a gun is pulled, I'm sure the cops are going to return like fire in kind....and if not, I'm definitely going to England to be a master criminal, muhahaha!

I use these at work in the Prison ward!

They'll knock you for a loop if they turn on you!

Been stunned once...still got the mark!

According to police acquaintances of mine, stun guns work relatively well on normal sober people who are not high on drugs or extremely hyped up on adrenaline.

However, if a suspect is high on drugs, or extremely hyped up on adrenaline with superoxygenated blood, they will laugh at a stun gun. (Under those conditions, a suspect would be very dangerous, and most stun guns are contact weapons)

Even the dart projectile stun guns only have a range of 7 meters... what if you suspect is just a footstep outside that range?

"Even having a "Less Lethal Technology Group" makes you think it's not just to cut down fatal shootings by armed officers."


You seem to be infering something here but I think you are off the mark. There has been a spate of cases over the last few years where police officers have shot innocent people. The man who last year got shot walking down the street with a table leg! Sounds like someone in the government establishment has the presence of mind to recognize that this is wrong and something should be done.

The things may be ineffective but its a step in the right direction.