Police - Taser-free year: stun guns not used so far
According to the Ministry of the Interior, the police in Baden-Württemberg have not used a stun gun to incapacitate an attacker once this year. However, officers had only rarely used so-called Tasers in previous years. In the past year, so-called distance electric impulse devices (DEIG) were used four times and in a total of 59 cases since March 2007, as the Ministry informed the German Press Agency. There have been no known deaths in connection with police Tasers.
However, in the south-west, as in some other states, Tasers are used exclusively by the special units - other states such as Bavaria, on the other hand, are extending their use.
The restriction in Baden-Württemberg is to remain in place, said a spokesperson for the Ministry of the Interior: "A state-wide introduction is currently not planned," they said in response to a query. However, the Ministry of the Interior is constantly reassessing this. The German Police Union in particular has been vehemently calling for police officers in the southwest to be equipped with so-called Tasers for years.
Tasers are used to incapacitate an opponent for several seconds because the devices cause short-term paralysis of the nervous system. From a distance of two to five meters, the police officer shoots darts connected to a wire. This is painful for the person hit, as the dart penetrates several millimetres deep into the skin and emits an electrical impulse. This should enable police officers to keep an attacker at a distance - without the risk of fatal injury. However, the use of a stun gun is not entirely without risk. It can have fatal consequences, especially for the elderly, pregnant women and people with heart problems.
Product sheet Taser 7
Read also:
- A clan member is punished here
- Traffic lawyer warns: Don't talk to the police!
- Will he be convicted as Jutta's murderer after 37 years?
- He also wanted to kill his cousin
- Despite the low usage of stun guns by the regular police in Baden-Württemberg this year, the Ministry of the Interior mentioned that special units in the south-west continue to use Tasers exclusively.
- The German Press Agency reported that there have been no reported deaths associated with police Tasers in Baden-Württemberg, contrary to some concerns about the risks related to their use, especially for vulnerable individuals such as the elderly and people with heart problems.
- As the turn of the year approaches, the Ministry of the Interior in Baden-Württemberg is reassessing its stance on the use of stun guns, as advocated by the German Police Union for several years.
- In Stuttgart, the capital city of Baden-Württemberg, the conversation about police tactics and the use of Tasers is ongoing, as reported by the German Press Agency in various news articles.
Source: www.stern.de
