Police watchdog probes taser incident

THE police watchdog was today investigating a mobile phone video of a man being repeatedly tasered by officers.

The footage shows the man rolling around on the floor in agony after one officer urges his colleagues to stand back before tasering him.

As he struggles again during the incident on Sunday night in Upper Parliament Street, Nottingham, he is tasered for a second time.

One of the four officers trying to arrest the man is also seen to punch him to the head area before back-up arrives.

The video was given to local radio station Trent FM and has also been posted on YouTube.

It starts with two officers trying to arrest the man who is lying in the road outside Nottingham's Theatre Royal.

But when they fail, the officer with the taser orders his colleague to let go.

He then stands over the man and fires the taser, which consists of two darts on the end of wires containing a 50,000 volt shock.

The two male officers are then joined by two other officers and they order the man to put his hands out.

But when he resists, the officer with the taser fires it again, shouting: "Taser, taser, taser."

At this point, his colleague, who was with him from the start, is seen to punch the man to the head area.

A crowd of 30 to 40 people quickly gathers and they start questioning the police's tactics.

A woman behind the camera is heard to say: "Look at his face, did you get that? He don't look like he is resisting."

The man, who is shooting the footage, added: "Yeh, I can't wait to put it (the footage) on YouTube."

Support from other officers then arrives and the video ends.

According to guidelines from the Association of Chief Police Officers, tasers must not be used indiscriminately.

Guidelines issued to forces state: "The use of taser is one of a number of tactical options available to an officer who is faced with violence or the threat of violence.

"Its purpose is to temporarily incapacitate an individual in order to control the threat that they pose.

"It must not be used to inflict severe pain or suffering in the performance of official duties."

Nottinghamshire Police said officers were trying to arrest the 40-year-old man after they were called out by door staff at one of the city's nightspots.

A police officer was then assaulted and needed hospital treatment.

A spokeswoman for the force said no complaint had been made against the officers involved and no-one had been suspended.

But the case has been passed voluntarily to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) so they can investigate.

A spokeswoman for the police watchdog said: "IPCC investigators are currently assessing the incident and a decision on the level of IPCC involvement will be made in due course."

The man was subsequently arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm and released on police bail.

Assistant Chief Constable Peter Davies said: "We understand that some members of the public may be concerned about this.

"The public's trust and confidence is very important for us, which is why we have referred this matter for an objective investigation to the IPCC.

"We are pro-actively looking at other CCTV in the area to ensure we have a clear picture of events leading up to the arrest and I would ask anyone in possession of such evidence, including the person who took the footage that has been published, to come forward as witnesses."

A spokeswoman for Amnesty International UK said the footage apparently revealed "a clear breach of the way in which Tasers should be used" and urged the IPCC to carry out a full investigation into the incident.

Shami Chakrabarti, director of Liberty, said: "Whilst video images rarely tell a complete story, these pictures give cause for serious concern.

"Tasers are supposed to be a safer last resort than firearms but there was always the danger they would become too easy to use routinely.

"Every day we see a new reason for the IPCC and yet that vital body has yet to win public confidence."

Chris Huhne, Lib Dem home affairs spokesman, added: "This shocking footage calls into question the wisdom of issuing more and more police officers with tasers.

"These are dangerous weapons that have killed 334 people in the United States, yet the Home Office seems to be treating them as standard issue for routine matters.

"Instead, tasers should be treated like firearms and used as a last resort, not the first port of call.

"We must not slide down the slippery slope towards fully-armed, US-style policing."