Stun gun ‘fear’ on FoI stats

By John Van Klaveren
NEW police use-of-force figures have fuelled fears Geelong’s Taser rollout could lead to further violence, according to a legal service.
Geelong ranked seventh on a list of top 10 regions for reports of “use of force” by and against police.
Melbourne and Dandenong topped the 2011 list.
Geelong ranked second in a top 10 for complaints to Victoria Police’s ethical standards department in 2010/2011. Melbourne ranked first, with Dandenong third.
The figures showed 527 incidents of reported police use of violence in the Geelong service area between 2008 and 2011. The Surf Coast police service area had 104 reports.
Reportable incidents included attacks on police and incidents in which officers used capsicum spray, handcuffs and batons or drew Tasers or guns.
Victoria Police recently revealed it would arm Geelong and Ballarat officers with 30 stun guns this year during the first phase of a statewide rollout
The Tasers green light followed a 12-month trial of the devices in Bendigo and Morwell.
Youthlaw co-director Tiffany Overall said the figures compounded concerns about the potential lethal combination of use of force and Tasers.
“The rationale behind Geelong and Ballarat being first was the high number of reports of capsicum spray use,” Ms Overall said.
“That’s consistent with the reasonably high figures for Geelong on incidents of use of force.
Ms Overall said Tasers could act as a deterrent but she was concerned about misuse.
“If used appropriately they can play a role but they can be subject to regular or frequent misuse.”
Ms Overall said the use of force figures, obtained through Freedom of Information, should be publicly available.
“The release of figures can allow the public to monitor the use of Tasers,” she said.
“The figure on complaints against police raises again the preference to have an independent body to investigate complaints rather than police investigating police.”