PDRM Are Considering Adding Taser Guns To Their Equipment Arsenal
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The Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) wants to equip officers with taser guns in their daily operations. This is to reduce the necessity of using firearms, especially when dealing with aggressive persons.
What you need to know: Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Bador said that the police force is aiming to acquire taser guns like those used by police officers in the United States, as they are durable.
He said that taser guns have a specific lifespan, and this depended on its quality.
Why it matters: Police equipment and operating procedures have a direct impact on public safety. The consideration of using taser guns in place of firearms would definitely reduce the chance of loss of life in high stress and dangerous situations.
However, even in the United States, safety issues have been raised on the use of tasers as well. The question here is about the use of excessive force to pacify a person. The police should have other less violent methods to depend on as well.
Who said what:
PDRM does not want to shoot anyone, and wants to resolve issues without loss of life, such as when dealing with persons under the influence of drugs who will be aggressive, so we want to only use taser guns to resolve these cases.
Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Bador via Malay Mail
How it got here: According to Abdul Hamid, taser guns have been introduced in Malaysia before, however not many were provided to the police force, and most were of poor quality.
He also said that PDRM are currently in the process of acquiring cameras to be equipped in police patrol cars and body cams for officers on patrol duty, especially those operating in city areas as they will be interacting with the public.
The use of body cameras for the police force was approved by the previous government.
Read more:
IGP considering arming police officers with tasers
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