10,000 Tasers Can't Be Wrong

Jacqui Smith, Home Idiot, has agreed to arming 10,000 coppers with tasers, to fight knife-wielding hoodies, berserkers, hecklers and presumably people who tell her to shove her ID cards up her non-solar fundament.

She believes they are essential to protect the safety of frontline officers and will reduce deaths caused by police shooting suspects with real guns.

I don't want to sound ungrateful, but if I'm in a dangerous situation I'm more concerned about my own health and safety rather than that of 'frontline officers'. And anyway, officers turning up to a scene involving firearms will be toting shooters rather than tasers.

The description of the effect of being shot with a taser makes it sound remarkably reasonable, if inconvenient.

The Taser fires two copper bharbs that send out an electrical shock. It is designed to incapacitate temporarily rather than injure.

The latest version is the X26 which can be effective from 26 feet. It fires a pair of barbs on copper wires that embed themselves in the suspect's clothing and send out an electrical current of 50,00 volts.

The shock can cause temporary loss of muscle control, making the target fall to the ground or freeze on the spot.

The truth is that it is extremely painful and occasionally fatal. Just key in 'taser' on YouTube and see what it's like.

I bet you it's fun using one, though.