PART III.  INSTRUMENTS OF FORCE For law enforcement, the most commonly used electroshock weapon is the taser, a “hand held electronic stun gun that can fire two barbed darts up to a distance of 7 metres, which remain attached to the gun by wires. The fish-hook like darts are designed to penetrate up to two inches of the target’s clothing or skin and deliver a high-voltage, low amp, electroshock along insulated copper wires”.197 It is a single-shot device (recently developed new models can fire two shots) designed to temporarily incapacitate a subject through the use of an electrical current which temporarily interferes with the body’s neuromuscular system; the device delivers its electrical charge in a 5 second cycle which can be stopped, extended or repeated.198 Taser is the brand name used for products manufactured by Taser International that first produced this weapon, which comes in various forms. Other companies have produced similar weapons, so the variety is increasing and there are other brand names and types of equipment. As taser has become a commonly used term, this resource book will use it with reference generically, while the principles addressed in this section equally apply to all electro shock devices. Some law enforcement agencies equip all their officials with a taser, but in most countries they are only used by specialized units. What are their effects? Its effects are, in general, loss of some voluntary muscle control, which can result in “the subject falling to the ground, causing various secondary injuries, or ‘freezing’ on the spot”.199 The effects are likely to be instantaneous, but the direct incapacitating effect is only likely to last for as long as the electrical charge is being delivered. Indeed, the subject may recover immediately afterwards and is able continue with their previous behaviour. The United Kingdom manual therefore warns that “an incapacitated subject must be controlled quickly and effectively”. Risks and how to mitigate these200 The direct effect of the taser includes barb penetration injury, especially on people with a small or thin stature and children where it can lead to internal organ penetration.201 Puncture injuries from barbs penetrating the skin also occur and can be particularly serious if barbs strike the head, neck, eyes or groin. There have been cases where there have been head injuries and eye penetration, and barb injury on the skin when the dart was removed, which should be done by a medical practitioner. Also, there have been cases where the use of the taser was followed by cardiac arrest, leading to the death of the victim.202 Certain methods of use increase the risks to the subject, in particular direct shocks to the chest area, and multiple or repeated shocks. Secondary injuries may result from unsupported falls, flammability, positional asphyxia and acute behavioural disturbance/excited delirium. Officials should avoid “tasering” sensitive areas (such as the head, neck, groin or heart area). 197  Anneke Osse, Understanding Policing: a Resource for Human Rights Activists, Amnesty International, the Netherlands, 2006, p. 133. 198  See College of Policing, Conducted energy devices, 2013. 199  Ibid. 200  See, NIJ In-Custody Death Study: The Impact of Use of Conducted Energy Devices, National Institute of Justice, 2011; the severity of the health risks associated with use of electrical weapons such as tasers is still debated. It is remarkable for a weapon so widely used that the mechanism of action of the taser is still not fully understood from a scientific and medical perspective. 201  DOMILL (Defence Scientific Advisory Council Sub-Committee on the Medical Implications of Less-Lethal Weapons) (2012) Statement on the Medical Implications of Use of the Taser X26 and M26 Less-Lethal Systems on Children and Vulnerable Adults http://data.parliament.uk/DepositedPapers/Files/DEP2012-0729/96605%20/ Library%20Deposit.pdf 202  Douglas P. Zipes, “Sudden Cardiac Arrest and Death Following Application of Shocks from a TASER Electronic Control Device”, Arrhythmia/Electrophysiology, American Heart Association Journals, 2012. 91