Taser used in Limerick

helimachoptor

http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0411/limerick.html

Taser used in Limerick arrest

A man has been arrested and an automatic weapon has been recovered as part of an investigation into serious crime in Limerick.
A Taser gun was used during last night's operation.
The 46-year-old man was arrested as he walked along a road in the Rhebogue area of Limerick at around 10.45pm last night.
Advertisement

Gardaí suspected that the man was armed and the Emergency Response Unit used a Taser in the arrest. It is the first time that a Taser has been used by gardaí.
When the man was searched, a loaded handgun was found with two magazines and 16 rounds of ammunition.
The was taken to Henry Street Garda Station and gardaí have described the arrest as significant.
The man is linked to the Keane-Collopy gang in Limerick and is one of the top ten figures in the ongoing criminal feud.

Any thoughts on this??



I think its about time, But I wouldnt have been bothered if he was shot either.

r3nu4l

Tasers are in frequent use in the UK but even at that their use is still not wholly accepted by the media.

There were concerns raised recently about the number of taser incidents in the UK.

BBC News Figures
Cambridgeshire figures

In my opinion, as a member of the public, if someone is known to be carrying weapons and refuses to cooperate then the gardaí should use the taser to ensure their own safety.

If the person is unknown to the gardaí, suspected of carrying a weapon and refusing to comply with directions from the gardaí then I also think it's use is justified.

I know in many police forces in the US, any officer who carries a taser has to have experienced the effects of a taser, I wonder is that the case with the ERU and the British constabulary?

itsallaboutheL

it is.

Turner

r3nu4l wrote: »

Tasers are in frequent use in the UK but even at that their use is still not wholly accepted by the media.

Its got nothing to do with the media.

Unless they were there at the particular incident.

r3nu4l

Chief--- wrote: »

Its got nothing to do with the media.

Unless they were there at the particular incident.

Whether you like it or not Chief (and I don't like it!), the media has a huge effect on public perception. :mad: No amount of press releases from the Garda press office will influence public opinion as much as something printed in a tabloid or heard on the radio or TV.

While the majority of the public will be happy with this particular usage, all it will take is one instance where the media feel the taser was misused for them to begin writing self-righteous, highly emotive pieces that influence public perception.

However, this is a good start to taser use in Ireland

Frisbee

Im 100% percent behind the issuing of tasers to Gardaí.
We're finally catching up with the rest of the world were a long weighted stick cant solve all the problems a guard will come across...

maglite

IS this the hand gun type with the darts?

It is a welcomed addition, and if they make a mistake there are less consiquences and in a justified arrest it is a better outcome for the "zapped" guy

Santa Claus

maglite wrote: »

IS this the hand gun type with the darts?

This is the type used in the UK


I would imagine if this is rolled out beyond the ERU then the powers that be would prefer to go for one that is not a gun shape as it could lead to unarmed gardai being mistaken for being armed etc (the GRA would probably not be too keen on the gun shape)

Fyr.Fytr

Hence why it is bright yellow.

Seems to be an excellent idea, tell you what media would have more of a feild day if he was shot

JonAnderton

I regulary carry the x26 TASER at work (It's a more compact version of the M26 which were the initial issued kit as above). It's a great bit of kit but I don't need to have experienced it to know that so no, the UK police don't have to have feel it to deal it.

The Taser's are yellow so as to distingish them from firearms for us as well as them. The gun shape means it's easy to use and natural for a firearms officer to shoot. The red dot sight alone has a tremendous effect on people

I can only talk from a UK perspective, but we're still taught to always bring a gun to a gunfight. The TASER's still there as a tactical option, but if the blokes definatly got a gun, then you should be covering him with a gun also. I'm sure the ERU use this rule as well...

As for the effects it has on people:
ASP: Breaks bone, permanent disfigurement, very sore ribs.
CS Spray: Positional Asphixia, cross contamination (trust me, I know)
TASER: 5 seconds (or less) of involuntary compliance. That it... No after effects...except maybe two small holes where the barbs were.. if they pierced the skin, they can work by sticking in clothing as well...

Santa Claus

I know it's bright yellow, but whats to stop criminal spraying a gun yellow to make it look like a taser.
I can't see regular Gardai being issued with these in a gun shape, but that's just my opinion !

JonAnderton

Why would they want to make peple think it was a taser? Surley they'd prefer a taser to look like a gun.

The response from the ERU should be the same wheather he's armed with a gun or a taser.



We've (Met) just started an extension to our 'trial' allowing non firearms officers to deploy tasers in more situations where force would be used.

The sooner these things are personal issue, the better...

Traumadoc

JonAnderton wrote: »

TASER: 5 seconds (or less) of involuntary compliance. That it... No after effects...except maybe two small holes where the barbs were.. if they pierced the skin, they can work by sticking in clothing as well...

Not that simple.

http://newstandardnews.net/content/index.cfm/items/1486

peckerhead

JonAnderton wrote: »

The sooner these things are personal issue, the better...

The perfect stocking filler. :eek:

JonAnderton

lol... I hope that wasn't CS as everyone knows CS is flammable so you wouldn't want to introduce a current to it... tisk tisk.. where's her officer safety.... and no fire extinguisher nearby... Health and safety would have her ass...

Sierra Oscar

Considering he was armed - it was def the right thing. Did the ERU themselves actually produce their own actual firearms in the arrest?

timmywex

the man the eru tasered, was proven to be armed, in previous years, that situation would have gone to a lengthly standoff or the suspect would have been shot with a letal bullet. The taser is a much better option.

To back up his use, chief of poilce in north wales, the famous richard brunston, lets himself get shot.;
http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=dBmddH3_yXE&feature=related

some very interesting initatives from north wales police up there also!
http://ie.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=northwalespoliceTV

Traumadoc

When the say "used" do they mean fired or was it just deployed and used as a threat to subdue the person.

JonAnderton

Thats a good question... Surley the media wouldn't try and stir up controvesry by playing on words... Clarification needed...

As for the ERU drawing weapons... Goes back to the first rule of tactics.. Always bring a gun to a gunfight.. depends on the situation... firearms seen/not seen... in plain view/easy reach.. either way, he should have been covered with a conventional firearm before the taser was introduced...

Guy:Incognito

OT but are those tazers (the gun shaped ones that fire the barbs) single use or do the wire retract back in to be used again? What sort of lenght are they?

Just curious.

jd83

you have to re attach a new clip after each shot on to the end of the device

JonAnderton

The taser's single shot (hence the firearms cover), once the cartrigdes been fired and hit the target, you can continue to deliver the charge for as long as the barbs are attached...

If you miss or the barbs come out, you have to reload.. you can carry one spare cartridge on the bottom of the battery on the pistol grip... reloads only take a few seconds... fire, turn off/make safe. pull off old cartridge and throw towards target, remove spare cartridge and push on front end, switch on and you're ready to go again...

opti76

i hope he tels all his mates how it feels.. about time it was used im guessing it was highly effective

jd83

they sound like a handy thing to have in a risky situation, i think regular guards should get them or cs or something to protect themselves in general.

JonAnderton

forget the CS... Doesn't work on everyone (unless you on the side of good, then it's 100% effective)...

jd83

i wouldnt know and dont plan on finding out anytime soon But with tasers you always see stuff in the news from the states about cops using it it situations where they shouldnt have so could lead to problems down the line. They should test it in limerick

JonAnderton

just needs a set of 'rules' when they can be used, like we're doing over here.. giving them to fireaerms officers immedialty means the people using them treat them like guns, and there's policy on the use of firearms, so it's an easy transition...

CLADA

Traumadoc wrote: »

Not that simple.

http://newstandardnews.net/content/index.cfm/items/1486

Don't mean to sound like a football manager but "at the end of the day" not a single inquest or court of law has yet found Taser liable for any of the so called "Taser related deaths" the media and amnesty so often accuse it of.

Eru

CLADA wrote: »

Don't mean to sound like a football manager but "at the end of the day" not a single inquest or court of law has yet found Taser liable for any of the so called "Taser related deaths" the media and amnesty so often accuse it of.

Seconded!

Traumadoc

We have serious concerns as, if they are seen as "non-lethal" they may be used more to subdue people "the easy option". But innocent people may be killed as a result.

JonAnderton

As I said before, there's policy set up for their use, thats why only firearms officers are given them. they understand the responsibility of using them. I can speak from experience that tasers are treated exactly the same as firearms. There's situations when firearms can and should be used, and the tasers the same. They CANNOT be used as merely compliance tools, as often seen in the US. Any deployment (taking it out the holster) is considered a use of force and 'deploying firearms'). Any discharge (intentional or unintentional) or use is investigated by complaints. Bear in mind they have dataports in the back which can be downloaded and gives information on all functins (time/date of use, how long was the burst, etc)

The phrase is 'less lethal' instead of non lethal as anything used can in theory cause death, we've been through all this in the past with CS spray...

In these situations, there's usually another underlying concern, CS doesn't cause the persons death, positional asphixia does or improper aftercare.