According to Steve Palmer, executive director of the Canadian Police Research Centre, "We don't speak often enough about the number of lives that have been saved, the number of people that are up and walking around today that might not have been had it not been for a Taser," . This goes to say, regardless of the 10 deaths in the UK , the 25 deaths in Canada and the 540 deaths in the US caused by Tasers, the number of lives that have been saved so far outweighs these numbers. Tasers are going to be around for a long time and because they are one of the best inventions ever created for the good of the public and the police force, all that needs to be done is for the law enforcement agencies in Canada and in other countries to initiate some best practices as well as setting some limitations to the use of Tasers.
The following are the Best Practices:-
Officers are only permitted to use the weapons in cases where a person is causing bodily harm or an officer has "reasonable grounds" to believe a person will "imminently" harm someone.
RCMP officers must also give a verbal warning "where tactically feasible" before using their stun guns.
Police forces should have better training on how to manage crises.
Limits on how long a Taser can be applied should seriously be looked into because using multiple or prolonged shocks may increase the risk of adverse effects on the heart or respiratory system.
Mandatory reporting when police use Tasers.
Thorough analysis of patterns of use.
Detailed public reporting on stun gun use.
The use of tasers by law enforcement officers is almost entirely unregulated. Therefore any province that endeavours to implement these best practices and more should be commended.
