Police get £140k from the Home Office to buy 170 more Tasers

Lincolnshire Police will receive an extra £140,000 to invest in new tasers after a successful bid led by the county’s Police and Crime Commissioner.
Lincs Police to get ?140,000 funding for tasers. EMN-200303-115703001Lincs Police to get ?140,000 funding for tasers. EMN-200303-115703001
Lincs Police to get ?140,000 funding for tasers. EMN-200303-115703001

PCC Marc Jones worked with the force to secure the additional funding from the Government to pay for 170 new tasers, meaning a total of 429 officers will be equipped with the less-lethal devices.

The grant is the sixth highest amount for a police force in England, outside of London, and comes from a £10 million pot provided by Home Secretary Priti Patel.

The cash will cover the cost of buying the new tasers, but the money for batteries, holsters and training has been included by Mr Jones in the budgets for the remainder of this year and next.

Police taser gun EMN-200303-151042001Police taser gun EMN-200303-151042001
Police taser gun EMN-200303-151042001

“The extra money provided by the Home Secretary is very positive news for Lincolnshire,” said Mr Jones.

“The additional tasers will play a significant role in keeping both our communities and our officers safe and will be a huge benefit in policing our rural county.

“The funding, coming soon after the funding to bolster officer numbers, is yet another demonstration of the Home Secretary’s commitment to tackling crime and is very welcome.”

Deputy Chief Constable Jason Harwin added: “We are delighted to receive additional funding for investing in new tasers. Protecting our staff is vital to maintaining a police force that is both physically and emotionally robust and this is one of several key parts of our wellbeing agenda.

“We had received feedback from our staff and the Police Federation that an increase in tasers would be of benefit to staff, which is just another reason why I’m pleased we have been able to secure funding for this investment.”

Forces in England and Wales will receive a total of £6.5million to purchase 7,923 devices.

Tasers fire prongs attached to wires to deliver an electric shock to a potentially dangerous suspect, causing them to be incapacitated in an effort to reduce the number of attacks each year on officers.

The remainder of the £10 million has been allocated to additional training for Taser instructors and £3.3 million to tackle serious violence and county lines drug gangs.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said: “Our brave police officers put themselves in harm’s way to protect us all and Taser is an important tactical option in potentially dangerous situations.

“This funding forms part of our commitment to ensure forces have the powers, resources and tools they need to keep themselves and the public safe.

“This week I also launched our consultation on the Police Covenant which will enshrine their rights in law, recognising their service and sacrifice.”