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Probe after Taser struck girl, 14, in Stapleford
http://www.x404.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=9858		 Page 1 of 3
Author:  Amnesia10 [ Fri Aug 06, 2010 1:01 am ]
Post subject:  Probe after Taser struck girl, 14, in Stapleford
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-no ... e-10887125

Quote:
Police in Nottinghamshire have apologised for accidentally shooting a 14-year-old girl with a Taser.

Officers were called to Alexander Street, Stapleford, at about 2235 BST on Wednesday following reports of anti-social behaviour in the area.

Police attempted to discharge the Taser after attempting to arrest a man who had become aggressive towards officers.

The Taser shot missed him but hit Jodie Gallagher, who was standing nearby, sending an electric shock through her.

Nottinghamshire Police has referred the incident to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).

Oops :oops:
Author:  belchingmatt [ Fri Aug 06, 2010 1:06 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Probe after Taser struck girl, 14, in Stapleford
14 year old out after 22:00. If she'd been at home in bed she wouldn't have been shot. Parental negligence is to blame here. :P
Author:  jonbwfc [ Fri Aug 06, 2010 6:37 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Probe after Taser struck girl, 14, in Stapleford
Well it's a factor but let's be honest here, a police officer firing any kind of weapon and hitting the wrong person? That's pretty much unforgiveable. The guy will be lucky if he just gets desked.

Jon
Author:  big_D [ Fri Aug 06, 2010 6:48 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Probe after Taser struck girl, 14, in Stapleford
If the guy was struggling and dodge the shot, I don't see this as being anything more than a simple accident. if the PC Wally can't aim the device and she was standing in a totally different direction, he should get remedial training and a reprimand and the girl should probably get compensation...

Out after 22:00? It doesn't say whether it was actually on the street or whether it was a private house...
Author:  l3v1ck [ Fri Aug 06, 2010 8:29 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Probe after Taser struck girl, 14, in Stapleford
belchingmatt wrote:
14 year old out after 22:00. If she'd been at home in bed she wouldn't have been shot. Parental negligence is to blame here. :P

Well it is the holidays and it's still light at night. Normally I'd agree with you, but I'll give parents a bit of leway at this time of year for letting their children stay out.
Author:  Amnesia10 [ Fri Aug 06, 2010 8:44 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Probe after Taser struck girl, 14, in Stapleford
big_D wrote:
If the guy was struggling and dodge the shot, I don't see this as being anything more than a simple accident. if the PC Wally can't aim the device and she was standing in a totally different direction, he should get remedial training and a reprimand and the girl should probably get compensation...

Out after 22:00? It doesn't say whether it was actually on the street or whether it was a private house...

If you miss then retraining is a must or probably better is that you are banned from using one ever again.

As for her being out, she could have come out because the kerfuffle was outside her home. Perfectly acceptable. Even if it were not and she was going home there is nothing wrong with that. She could have been at a friends.
Author:  JJW009 [ Fri Aug 06, 2010 9:37 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Probe after Taser struck girl, 14, in Stapleford
You should never discharge a weapon if there's any danger to an innocent party. At the best, it shows poor judgement.

Unless the girl actually jumped in front!
Author:  EddArmitage [ Fri Aug 06, 2010 9:41 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Probe after Taser struck girl, 14, in Stapleford
At the end of the day it's only a Taser. I've not been shot by one, but by most accounts it's rather unpleasant but that's it. If she was in close proximity to the suspect, and got hit, then it's certainly unlucky, and if the officer who discharged the weapon is making a habit of this he could probably do with re-training before he's allowed to use it again.
Author:  Amnesia10 [ Fri Aug 06, 2010 9:50 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Probe after Taser struck girl, 14, in Stapleford
EddArmitage wrote:
At the end of the day it's only a Taser. I've not been shot by one, but by most accounts it's rather unpleasant but that's it. If she was in close proximity to the suspect, and got hit, then it's certainly unlucky, and if the officer who discharged the weapon is making a habit of this he could probably do with re-training before he's allowed to use it again.

Yes but some segments of the police want them all to be armed. In which case this would be a dead girl now.
Author:  rustybucket [ Fri Aug 06, 2010 9:53 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Probe after Taser struck girl, 14, in Stapleford
Amnesia10 wrote:
EddArmitage wrote:
At the end of the day it's only a Taser. I've not been shot by one, but by most accounts it's rather unpleasant but that's it. If she was in close proximity to the suspect, and got hit, then it's certainly unlucky, and if the officer who discharged the weapon is making a habit of this he could probably do with re-training before he's allowed to use it again.

Yes but some segments of the police want them all to be armed. In which case this would be a dead girl now.

We don't know that - which is why they're having a probe.

Tasers aren't exactly a precision weapon after all. It could be a perfectly reasonable case of the charge head going off at a funny angle.
Author:  Amnesia10 [ Fri Aug 06, 2010 9:57 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Probe after Taser struck girl, 14, in Stapleford
Yes but they are aimed at the torso so odds are that she would have been hit on her torso. Also while the bullet may not always kill the blood loss and shock can do more damage than realised. I am in support of specialised police units being armed but not the average bobby.
Author:  rustybucket [ Fri Aug 06, 2010 10:05 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Probe after Taser struck girl, 14, in Stapleford
Amnesia10 wrote:
I am in support of specialised police units being armed but not the average bobby.

I'm with you on this one - have you seen the average bobby?

However, in this particular case, we still don't know why the girl was hit instead of the target.

It could have been due to:

  • Deficient training
  • Insufficient training
  • Weapon malfunction
  • Inappropriate use
  • Environmental conditions e.g. wind
  • Improper weapon preparation and storage

Until we do know what actually happened, IMO it's a little early to use this as a stick to beat the Dibble with.
Author:  EddArmitage [ Fri Aug 06, 2010 10:14 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Probe after Taser struck girl, 14, in Stapleford
Amnesia10 wrote:
Yes but they are aimed at the torso so odds are that she would have been hit on her torso. Also while the bullet may not always kill the blood loss and shock can do more damage than realised. I am in support of specialised police units being armed but not the average bobby.

I think the decision to discharge a weapon is made a lot more easily when dealing with Tasers, and that, say, an officer may fire a "95%" shot with a Taser, where as an armed officer would only obviously shoot if they felt certain.

And then there's the weapon accuracy issues described by Rusty. With reduced-consequence weapons the accuracy does not need to be so high.
Author:  EddArmitage [ Fri Aug 06, 2010 10:15 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Probe after Taser struck girl, 14, in Stapleford
rustybucket wrote:
Amnesia10 wrote:
I am in support of specialised police units being armed but not the average bobby.

I'm with you on this one - have you seen the average bobby?

However, in this particular case, we still don't know why the girl was hit instead of the target.

It could have been due to:

  • Deficient training
  • Insufficient training
  • Weapon malfunction
  • Inappropriate use
  • Environmental conditions e.g. wind
  • Improper weapon preparation and storage

Until we do know what actually happened, IMO it's a little early to use this as a stick to beat the Dibble with.

I don't think there's a word there I disagree with.
Author:  belchingmatt [ Fri Aug 06, 2010 10:23 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Probe after Taser struck girl, 14, in Stapleford
Better to be hit accidentally by a non-lethal weapon, isn't that a benefit of tasers. Well except for the resultant fatalities.

I can't help but wonder if the officer involded had the same expression as the officer with the taser from the Raoul Moat case. :P
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