Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/2009/02/25/uk_tasering/
UK kiddies cop a righteous tasering
LibDems decry increase in electro-justice
Posted in Bootnotes, 25th February 2009 12:17 GMT
The Liberal Democrats are a tad worried that the UK is sliding inexorably into a US-style law enforcement pit where the merest hint of insurrection is countered by a robust tasering - even if it means delivering electro-justice to wide-eyed kiddies.
According to shock figures "revealed in a Parliamentary answer", the facts are these:
- Police in England and Wales fired 50,000 volt Taser guns at children 28 times between January 2007 and August 2008
- Tasers were used on under-18s 11 times in 2007 and 17 times in the first eight months of 2008
- If that rate were to continue, the use of Tasers on children would have doubled between 2007 and 2008
- A further 83 children were 'exposed to the use of Taser' in the 20-month period
- In total, 2,222 people were 'exposed to the use of Taser'
The Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary Chris Huhne declared:
"Given the grave doubts about the Home Office’s claim that Tasers are not lethal, they should not be used on children. Police officers must be able to protect themselves, but these weapons have killed more than 300 people in the United States and should not be issued to untrained officers.
"We need an in-depth inquiry into the use of Tasers before they become commonplace on British streets. We must not slide down a slippery slope towards fully-armed, US-style policing."
Yeah, well he would say that, wouldn't he? This is the problem with the wishy-washy, namby-pamby pinko burghers of Middle England - they've never had their grandad - awarded the Victoria Cross for single-handedly taking out a Japanese machine gun nest in Burma armed with nothing more than a tightly-rolled copy of the Daily Mail - flattened by a fridge thrown from a sink estate tower block so that feral yoof high on contact adhesive and alcopops could relieve him of his 56p pension.
What these kids need is a solid tasering, a lick o' the cat and a touch of the birch followed by an isolation cell in borstal and a couple of years in the army. Mark my words: It's the only language they understand. ®