This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/scotland/5380118.stm
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| MSPs to hear Taser gun concerns | MSPs to hear Taser gun concerns |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| Human rights campaigners are to urge Scottish police to stop the use of stun guns, claiming evidence from America shows they can be a lethal weapon. | Human rights campaigners are to urge Scottish police to stop the use of stun guns, claiming evidence from America shows they can be a lethal weapon. |
| Amnesty International, which is holding a seminar for MSPs, said more than 150 people had died in the US and Canada, after police used Tasers on them. | |
| The devices are designed to incapacitate a suspect by sending thousands of volts through their body. | The devices are designed to incapacitate a suspect by sending thousands of volts through their body. |
| Scottish police forces insist the devices can save lives. | Scottish police forces insist the devices can save lives. |
| However, researchers from Amnesty are to tell MSPs that in the US they have been used against young children, the elderly, pregnant women, and even a handcuffed nine-year-old. | However, researchers from Amnesty are to tell MSPs that in the US they have been used against young children, the elderly, pregnant women, and even a handcuffed nine-year-old. |
| Senior police officers in Scotland said the Taser is only used by specialist firearms officers in the UK. | Senior police officers in Scotland said the Taser is only used by specialist firearms officers in the UK. |
| They have been deployed four times by Strathclyde Police - Scotland's biggest force. | They have been deployed four times by Strathclyde Police - Scotland's biggest force. |
| A spokesman said in at least three of those incidents the only alternative would have been to shoot the individuals involved. | A spokesman said in at least three of those incidents the only alternative would have been to shoot the individuals involved. |