PETALING JAYA (ANN/THE STAR) – The police department embraced the use of stun guns and tasers years ago, yet they are deployed infrequently despite the urgent necessity to equip all officers with them.
The use of non-lethal weapons such as stun guns by police should be encouraged, especially to de-escalate threats from unarmed aggressors or those brandishing non-firearm weapons, says Crime Consciousness and Public Safety Society chairman Datuk Mohamad Anil Shah Abdullah.
He said in circumstances where an attacker is emotionally unstable, intoxicated or overwhelmed by feelings, tasers can effectively immobilise them without inflicting significant physical harm or death, which firearms may cause.
On Feb 15, four policemen aged between 20 and 50 sustained injuries during a lengthy standoff with a 32-year-old man at Taman Seri Astana in Sungai Petani.
Mohamad Anil said policemen are not allowed to shoot unless there is an immediate risk to the lives of bystanders and their own
“The last thing a policeman wants to do is kill. They are only human and have families of their own. This is where tasers can prove to be extremely useful in tackling an aggressor without fatal consequences.Non-lethal weapons can avoid or minimise fatalities in the process of apprehending a violent suspect,” he added.
Mohamad Anil said as the cost of tasers is high, equipping all personnel would be costly.
He suggested that the police department should ensure that officers assigned to crime hotspots are provided with the tasers it already possesses, before gradually extending the numbers.
He mentioned that there are additional equally effective non-lethal weapons available that the police should think about obtaining, including the Bolawrap. The portable device functions by shooting a bundle of cords that envelops a person’s arms or legs, limiting their movement without inflicting significant harm.
R. Balasubramaniam, a criminologist and ex-senior police officer who trained others on taser guns while in the force, stated that every active-duty personnel in the field must have access to both primary and secondary weapons, allowing them to select the most suitable option for the threats they encounter.
Tasers, according to Balasubramaniam, are highly effective because they can subdue aggressors effectively, allowing for detention with minimal physical force.
Multiple police officers in the Klang Valley communicated to The Star that although taser guns and pepper sprays exist, not all officers carry them, and they are deployed only in specific circumstances.
One policeman said that currently, personnel on duty are issued only pistols, while those in patrol car units are equipped with submachine guns, namely the Heckler & Koch MP5.
As threats increase, like during police roadblocks, personnel can carry M-16 assault rifles and don bulletproof vests, according to another policeman.
Police batons, or T-batons, and shields are seldom used except during riots or the control of large crowds, he noted.
