Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the findings of the inquest into the death of Marc Cole, what assessment her Department has made of the safety of the use of tasers by the Police.

The Government is committed to ensuring police have the resources, tools and powers they need to keep themselves and the public safe.

Tasers provide officers with an important tactical option when facing potentially physically violent situations. However, the Government is clear that all use of force must be lawful, proportionate and necessary in all circumstances.

Only less lethal weaponry which has been authorised by the Home Secretary may be used by police forces in England and Wales. There is an established process for the approval of less lethal weapons which takes into account relevant strategic, ethical, operational and societal issues, as well as an independent medical evaluation by the Scientific Advisory Committee for the Medical Implications of Less Lethal Weapons (SACMILL).

Our sympathy is with Marc Cole’s family who have lost a loved one.