Brian Docherty, Chairman of the Scottish Police Federation wants to see police officers having access to tasers in every operational vehicle in Scotland.
His call follows recent reports of a female officer being knocked unconscious during an arrest and also two officers being attacked outside their own station by a gang of teenagers.
He said, “The levels of assaults on police officers are far too high. Too often charges of assaulting the police are dropped or plea bargained away. The sentences passed are clearly not acting as a deterrent.
Beyond that we have to ensure that self- protection training and equipment are good quality and kept up to date. Over the years we have introduced improved handcuffs, batons and CS spray. Beyond that we would like to see the wider deployment of tazers so that they are kept in every operational police vehicle.
The principal aim of the police is to protect the public. An attack on a police officer is an attack on society. To ensure the police can protect the public the courts and other authorities need to protect the police.”
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
