George Mathias
SPAIN’S Policia Nacional is to begin a rollout of tasers for all officers.
Until now, tasers in Spain’s police forces have been relatively restricted, with some unions criticising the police for allowing the weapons to ‘collect dust’.
The SUP, Spain’s largest police union, has welcomed their introduction.
Unions have been pushing for the widespread introduction of tasers for a number of years, especially following the terrorist attacks on Las Ramblas in Barcelona in August 2017 when a jihadist drove into a crowd of people.
Photo: creative commons licence.
It was following this incident that the Unified Police Union (SUP) submitted an ‘urgent’ request for tasers to become an essential part of officers’ equipment.
Proponents of tasers say they are a much safer way of apprehending criminals and protecting police officers without the lethality of firearms, though they are not without controversy.
In the UK and the US, where their use is more widespread, their use has been attributed to a number of deaths.
In Spain, the police forces in Marbella and Mijas already use them though they are not routinely carried by officers.
The police have not yet set a date for their rollout, but said in a statement they would be introduced to the Policia Nacional ‘imminently’.
Despite this, it is likely to be some time before police are able to use them on the beat as extensive training to use them is required.
READ MORE:
- Spain plans to lift minimum height requirement for police officers
- Striking lorry divers in Spain face police clampdown over violent picketing
- Police launch murder probe after man found dead in Costa del Sol chiringuito
