Manchester doubles number of taser officials

Greater Manchester Police has announced that the force will double the number of officers trained in the use of tasers to 1,100. Following the recent terror attacks in Manchester and London, Chief Constable Ian Hopkins said the decision would provide increased protection to the people of Greater Manchester and release more police officers responding to serious incidents. Each officer selected to undergo training will go through a rigorous assessment process, in line with national guidelines, to ensure that they are suitable to carry a taser. Hopkins said: “The threat level we are facing is significant as we have seen from recent atrocities in our city and in the capital. We have seen attacks targeting innocent people in crowded places using knives, causing death and serious injury. I believe it is necessary to increase the number of specially trained officers authorised to carry tasers. This is necessary in order to better protect the people of Greater Manchester and the officers of Greater Manchester Police.　 “Keeping our communities safe is our number one priority and this uplift will allow us to better equip officers to respond to the increasing threat of terrorism and serious crime. It is often the case that just having a taser officer present can diffuse a threatening situation without them actually having to use it or get involved in a physical confrontation.”