Police taser threat used on West Yorkshire children ‘dozens of occasions last year’

Officers reported firing the electrical weapons in one of those cases.

The Children’s Rights Alliance for England says the recorded increase in use of Tasers against children by police forces across England and Wales is “alarming”.

The children’s human rights charity says “being threatened” with a Taser can be extremely frightening for a child even if the weapon is not fired, and has called for a ban on their use on young people.

Home Office figures show West Yorkshire Police drew Tasers on children aged under 18 on 49 occasions in 2019-20, compared to 50 the previous year.

Matt Twist, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for self-defence and restraint, said force is “rarely used in the vast majority” of officers’ interactions with the public.

He added: “When it is necessary to use force – for example, when someone poses an immediate danger to others or themselves – it is used proportionately and lawfully.”