Prison guards to use Tasers, pepper spray and mace

BY REBECCA BIRD

OFFICERS at Her Majesty’s Prison in Grand Turk can now use Tasers, pepper spray and mace in the course of their duty, following approval in Cabinet last week.

Members gave the thumbs up to new regulations on June 11 under the Prison and Firearms Ordinances which will allow trained guards to use the criminal and crowd control tools.

The news comes just weeks after an inmate wielding a plank of wood knocked a prison officer unconscious in an incident that was filmed and circulated widely on social media.

The introduction of the selfdefence kit is just one of a string of measures the Government has announced to protect prison staff.

According to a post-Cabinet statement, the regulations also allow police officers to wield the tools.

However, police press officer Takara Bain told the Weekly News this week that officers in the Royal TCI Police Force have been using Tasers, pepper spray and mace for several years.

Both Prison Superintendent Grahame Hawkins and Commissioner of Police Trevor Botting have said they will be releasing a response on the Cabinet move in the coming week.

TASERS

A Taser is a brand of hand-held weapon that uses electrical current to disrupt voluntary control of muscles.

Once triggered, small compressed nitrogen charges fire two small dart-like electrodes, which stay connected to the main unit by conductive wires.

Someone struck by a Taser will experience stimulation of their sensory and motor nerves, forcing them to convulse and fall to the ground for a preprogrammed period of time.

In the summer of 2018, private crime action group National Crime Prevention (NCP) - directed by four private sector individuals - donated Tasers to the Royal TCI Police Force.

One of the debilitating electroshock weapons was quickly put to use during the arrest of a rape accused man who attempted to flee from officers in Providenciales.

In November that year, following a partnership with the Miami Beach Police Force, officers were given extensive training on the use of the tools.

In the United Kingdom, Tasers were introduced in the UK for firearms officers in 2003, and in 2007 they were extended to non-firearms officers known as Specially Trained Officers.

In England and Wales, there are currently around 17,000 Taser-trained police out of 123,000 officers.

Meanwhile Tasers are considered to be “prohibited weapons” under the Firearms Act 1968 and possession by members of the public is an offence.

The maximum sentence for possession is 10 years in prison and an unlimited fine.

In the US, Taser devices are not considered firearms by the government and can be legally carried by members of the public without a permit in 43 states.

Since it was developed by NASA researcher Jack Cover in 1974, Taser use has become a controversial topic after it is alleged to have resulted in serious injuries and deaths.

Reuters news agency has documented at least 1,000 US deaths following use of Tasers, almost all since the weapons began coming into widespread use in the early 2000s.

And while they are far less lethal than many other weapons, the United Nations is concerned that use of Tasers may amount to torture.

PEPPER SPRAY AND MACE

Pepper spray, also known as capsaicin spray or capsicum spray, is a lachrymatory agent used in policing, riot control, crowd control and self-defence.

It contains a chemical compound that irritates the eyes to cause a burning sensation, pain, and temporary blindness.

Mace is the brand name of an early type of aerosol spray invented in the 1960s and used as a deterrent and incapacitant when sprayed in the face.

Phenacyl chloride tear gas is dissolved in hydrocarbon solvents and packaged into a small aerosol spray can.

The use of pepper spray in the TCI has been reported on a few occasions during criminal activity, but no use of mace has been documented.

In 2008, the owner of a security company in charge of illegal migrants at the Detention Centre in South Dock was charged with dousing detainees with pepper spray.

Then in 2010, three bandits tied up their robbery victims in Grand Turk and sprayed them with what was described as pepper spray as they made their escape.

And in 2018, a video was filmed of a police officer blasting pepper spray into the face of a Five Cays man who said he was defending a female resident against “excessive” police force.

In the UK, police officers on duty are allowed to use ‘incapacitant sprays’ when faced with violence or the threat of violence.

However, the ownership, carry and use by common citizens of pepper spray is banned under Section 5(1)(b) of the Firearms Act 1968.

In the US, pepper spray can be legally purchased and carried in all 50 states.

It is often used by police officers for crowd control, as controversially demonstrated during recent Black Lives Matter protests.