Is the Taser Gun really necessary in Hitchin?

North Herts have been issued with the Taser Gun and it is to be used by firearms and non-firearms officers whilst on duty.

When the Taser Gun was first issued there was alot of speculation about the health and safety of the gun, however as we all know that the Police are no longer respected the way they used to be and have to constantly battle against abuse from members of the public. 

Since 2000 the rise in knife and gun crime has risen dramatically, and the Police seem to be forever trying to find ways to tackle this. 

The Taser Gun has a range of 21 feet and when used the victim is hit by 50,000 volts of electricity, and also when deployed can pierce clothing or skin. This sounds extremely dangerous and my worry is that if the victim has any underlining medical conditions it could be fatal. 

Between July-December 2009 the Taser Gun was only discharged twice in North Herts, however it was red-dot (aimed) 25 times which means the Police were able to control the situation just by having the Taser Gun there.

So is the Taser Gun neccesary in North Herts, particularly Hitchin?   There is constantly news of anti-social behaviour in and around North Herts, each and every case is different however the majority of the cases are perpetrated by young adults, but why?

Being 19 I am always hearing of my generation being involved in anti-social behaviour and even now people younger than me are committing crimes that end up having fatal results.

 

I believe this is due to the fact that each generation is growing up quicker and they always want to be seen older than they are. When I was first trying to answer the question of why anti-social behaviour is increasing my initial answer was becuase people my age and younger have nothing to do except hang around in the streets, however there are youth centres open and even the nightclubs are now doing nights for younger people.

 This isn't enough though because this isn't always available and can sometimes mean spending money that they dont have, I dont see this as a reasonable excuse to commit crime however more needs to be done to enable young adults to be in a safe environment where they dont feel they are being constantly watched.

 Due to anti-social behaviour and other crimes the Police are now having to use harsher detterents to stop people, however this never used to be such a probelm. Police used to respected by everybody but as I have seen throughout  my teens this respect is slowly being eroded. I personally belive this is becuase we are only ever hearing the bad news, how the Police failed to sentence someone for the crime or if they are the sentence does not seem to be long enough.

People need to hear or be shown the positivies of the Police force and harsher punishment needs to be put in place. If people do something and get away with it they will carry on doing so. The Taser Gun is a form of punishment that if you dont comply with the Police they will use it, so it does have its advantages and disadvantages however I see it as a step in the right direction.

 

North Herts is not known for anti-social behaviour and due to this the figures shows that  the Taser Gun was not needed in majority of cases however I am a firm beliver of if you commit the crime you do the time.