Concerns arise in community over taser use

At a time when the RCMP's watchdog has called for Mounties across the country to restrict their use of tasers, concerns are starting to arise in the community about whether the stun guns are being used by local officers.
Sackville town councillor Virgil Hammock said he has been approached recently by several local residents, who were questioning him on whether the Sackville RCMP force is equipped with the tasers - the trade name for what police usually call 'conductive energy devices.'
Cpl. Jenny Williamson, team leader with the Sackville RCMP, told town council members that the local police officers who are trained to use the device are equipped with one of two models.
"They are wearing them after being trained," said Williamson. "And yes, we have used them in the past and we will continue to use them until we receive direction otherwise."
The provincial government is expected to have a new policy on conducted energy weapons in place by the end of January. This comes following a sweeping review by the head of the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP, who recently concluded that the weapons are increasingly being employed to subdue those who are resistant rather than those who pose a threat.
This has caused concern right across the country, particularly after a number of people have reportedly died after being electrically stunned.
A taser fires a probe that delivers up to a five-second electrical shock, stunning the individual's neuro-muscular system and causing him or her to fall down from pain and muscle contractions.
The recent review also recommended increased training for officers and for more research to be conducted on the weapon's effects. The report also notes that the RCMP has 2,840 stun guns and 9,132 members have been trained on their use.