On the evening of the 24 June 2013 the Law Society held one of its public debate series on the topic ’Does Taser use breach fundamental human rights?
The event held at the Law Society in London was a great success with a great line up of speakers, a packed audience and lots of healthy debate.
The podcast from that evening is now available.
Tasers have been carried by the police since 2003. The aim of Taser use is to prevent conflict, protect life and resolve disputes. However, people have been injured by Taser guns during peaceful protests, when being arrested and when they have already been put in handcuffs.
This debate helped the profession look at not only the legal context but also the moral and human rights context of Taser use. During the debate each speaker shared their views so as to develop a balanced view of Taser use in the UK.
The speakers were:
- Mike Kellett, CPT’s most used expert and an ex English police officer
- Richard Edwards, Associate Head of the Law Department and Principal Lecturer in Law at the University of the West of England
- Alastair Logan, The Law Society’s Human Rights Committee
- Olivier Sprague, Amnesty International
- Simon Chesterman, lead for armed policing, Deputy Chief Constable
The evening was chaired by Des Hudson; CEO of the Law Society