It Is Time For Tasers, Says Former Home Secretary Alan Johnson
6 September 2019, 11:03
Former Home Secretary Alan Johnson has given full support to Nick Ferrari's campaign to equip all police officers with tasers.
Nick Ferrari has written to the Home Secretary to request ring-fenced funding to arm all police officers with tasers following a sharp rise in assaults on officers.
Thirteen senior police chiefs have backed the call and yesterday, Chancellor Sajid Javid told LBC he would ensure that all police forces get the funding they need to protect their officers.
This morning, speaking to Nick, Alan Johnson backed the idea of ensuring additional funding for forces if they want to arm their officers with the device.
He said: "I'm with you. It's time for tasers.
"It was time for tasers 15 years ago when my government introduced them, initially for firearms officers only, but Jacqui Smith my predecessor as Home Secretary put £8million into making them available for all forces. It was the decision of the chief constable on whether to use them.
"When I was Home Secretary, there were 22,000 more police officers than there are now. Thousands more Community Support Officers.
"If police constabularies have money to spend, they generally have to spend it on keeping police on the streets.
"So making money available for them to have those tasers, so that if they make that decision, they are not taking that money away from frontline policing is the crucial aspect of this campaign."
