Tasers

The NZ Herald editorial backs the Police being able to use tasers, and it is hard to disagree with their reasoning.

Steven Wallace may be alive today if police had the option of using a taser on him. Tasers should work well when an offender is armed with a knife or bat etc.

However the recent footage of a police officer pepper spraying a man already handcuffed, seemingly just because he was mouthing off, shakes the confidence of the public that the Police might not also use tasers when it is not necessary. The Police need to crack down very hard on inappropriate use of pepper spray if they want public support for tasers.