Expert Comment On Tasers

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5th October 2010, 04:32pm - Views: 1943





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Expert comment on Tasers –


Calls are growing for a review of Taser use by police after an Aboriginal man was

tasered 13 times in Perth and another man died after being tasered by police in

Sydney.


The incidents come a day after Western Australia’s Corruption and Crime

Commission report showed the weapons were increasingly being used for

compliance, despite being initially introduced to prevent injury and reduce the use

of firearms.


RMIT University criminal justice expert, Associate Professor Julian Bondy, said the

introduction of Tasers had resulted in police relying too heavily on the weapons for

conflict resolution.


“These weapons are not as safe as their advocates have been leading us to

believe,” Associate Professor Bondy said,


“The fears that have long been held regarding their misuse have been confirmed

by the Western Australian report.


“The picture that has been painted is that Tasers are effective and safe but more

and more, these weapons are not used as a ‘last resort’.


“The problem arises when they are seen as a short cut, instead of providing better

training to police in terms of resolving conflicts without the use of force.”


Associate Professor Bondy has published extensively in the field of criminal justice.


He has also led advanced training and education programs for Victoria Police and

acted as a consulted in anti-corruption training overseas.


The Program Manager of Criminal Justice at RMIT, Associate Professor Bondy is

available for comment on issues related to the use of Tasers.


For interviews: RMIT University’s Associate Professor Julian Bondy, 0411

260 866.


For general media enquiries: RMIT University Communications, Gosia

Kaszubska, (03) 9925 3176 or 0417 510 735.

5 October, 2010






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