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Canada Taser use under scrutiny Taser ban threat to Canada police
(about 3 hours later)
A report in Canada is expected to call for some restrictions on stun guns used by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police are using stun guns too often and their use should be temporarily banned if levels are not curbed, a watchdog has said.
The controversial devices have been under scrutiny since a Polish immigrant died after being stunned twice by police at Vancouver airport last year. Its report, prompted by the death of a Polish immigrant stunned by police last year, said the guns should only be used against "combative" people.
Twenty people have died in Canada since the police started using the stun guns, also known as Tasers, in 1999. It also recommended that officers seek immediate medical attention for people they shock with the devices.
But police say that Tasers allow an officer to subdue a violent individual without resorting to a lethal firearm. There are an estimated 2,000 to 3,000 stun guns available to Canadian police.
See how a Taser works
It is estimated there are 2,000 to 3,000 of the weapons available to Canadian officers.
Public outragePublic outrage
The review by the police force's Commission for Public Complaints (CPC) was initiated after amateur video emerged, which showed Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers fire a stun gun at least twice at Robert Dziekanski, a Polish immigrant, who died shortly afterwards. Paul Kennedy, who led the review by the police force's watchdog, the Commission for Public Complaints (CPC), called for "a more conservative use" of stun guns, also known as Tasers.
See how a Taser works
Mr Kennedy said that if the police could not account for the use of the weapon, or properly instruct officers on appropriate use, "then such use should be prohibited until prompt and strict accountability and training measures can be fully implemented".
The review was initiated after amateur video emerged showing Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers fire a stun gun at least twice at Robert Dziekanski, a Polish immigrant, who died shortly afterwards.
Mr Dziekanski spoke no English and had become agitated after waiting in a secure area of the airport for 10 hours.Mr Dziekanski spoke no English and had become agitated after waiting in a secure area of the airport for 10 hours.
The police were heavily criticised for their treatment of Mr Dziekanski. The images were also released to the media, causing public outrage.The police were heavily criticised for their treatment of Mr Dziekanski. The images were also released to the media, causing public outrage.
In an interim report released last year, the head of the CPC, Paul Kennedy, recommended that the force immediately reclassify Tasers as "impact weapons" instead of "intermediate devices". The police say that the guns allow an officer to subdue a violent individual without resorting to a lethal firearm.
In response, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police issued a directive restricting officers from using Tasers against the "lowest level of resistance" but allowing their use where people were displaying "active resistant behaviour".
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