Tasmania Police will soon roll out tasers for the first time, with 50 frontline officers set to be equipped with the devices over the next year.
The trial, funded in the latest state budget, follows internal reviews that highlighted what Commissioner Donna Adams described as a “capability gap” in how officers respond to dangerous situations.
Police Minister Felix Ellis told a parliamentary estimates hearing the move would give officers more options during high-risk incidents.
“This is an important part of the budget [that] provides a 12-month trial of tasers for frontline officers, which provide extra use of force options and provides greater safety in high-risk situations,” Ellis said.
Commissioner Adams said two reviews – one into operational skills training and another following the fatal North Motton shooting of Constable Keith Smith – both pointed to the need for tasers.
“Developing a safe model of policing is a key priority for Tasmania Police and it is a key priority in our annual strategy,” she said.
“We want to continue to build a safe environment for our police officers. As you can imagine, the jobs that they face each day can be quite challenging.”
Tasmania is the only state or territory where general-duties police officers do not carry tasers.
Ellis said improved technology had changed the equation.
“Tasmania Police’s ability to effectively leapfrog some of those older generations of tasers into a much more kind of effective use of force option for us has really prompted a rethink,” he said.
Adams said officers were increasingly encountering people armed with knives or affected by alcohol, mental health issues and illicit drugs.
“This is about keeping those individuals safe but also our police officers safe and providing an additional capability for them to consider in the resolution of that incident in a safe way,” she said.
Even so, Adams said the service had been “very cautious” in moving towards tasers.
“We wanted to ensure that the use of tasers is well regulated through training and a clear understanding of when that use of force option should be relied upon by our officers,” she said.
The trial will begin with a planning phase involving policy development, training strategies and community consultation.
Adams said the 50 devices would most likely be deployed at 24/7 stations and in regional areas, following an expected three-month procurement period.
“It would be ideal if we’re not using it at all and we don’t have any critical incidents, but unfortunately [due to] the nature of policing, our officers are attending critical incidents every day,” she said.
After the 12-month trial, the results will determine whether tasers become a permanent part of Tasmania Police’s equipment.
“If we think that the gap has been closed because we’ve implemented that new capability, we’ll then provide a budget submission to look at a broader expansion of that capability,” Adams added.
The $3.7 million funding package allocated in the most recent state budget also includes new protective vests and metal-detection wands.
