Clarification on AFP usage of Conducted Electrical Weapons (CEWs) | WPN World People News

Conducted Electrical Weapons or CEWs (often incorrectly referred to as Tasers, a registered brand of CEW) are issued to sergeants within ACT Policing and AFP Aviation, and to individual members of the AFP’s Specialist Response Group (SRG) and Specialist Support Teams (SST).

The CEW is considered by the AFP, like many police services around the developed world, to be a highly-effective and less-lethal force option in situations requiring the use of force. Where officers are facing an immediate threat to their personal safety, or there is an immediate and life-threatening situation involving another person (grievous self-harm incidents included), a CEW may provide a better use of force option than a firearm.

Specifically within ACT Policing, CEWs were approved for use in August 2011. The issuing of CEWs is limited to frontline sergeants, who are generally the most experienced response-level police officers in Canberra’s respected community policing service. Officers must undertake a rigorous two-day training course before being issued with a CEW, and undergo requalification every 12 months.

All ACT Policing members are governed by AFP Commissioner’s Order 3 (CO3) in the application of force and they must maintain all mandatory compliance requirements in reporting and training. ACT Policing members are trained that a CEW is not a device used for compliance. Every use of a CEW is subject to strict operational and reporting guidelines, and review.

It should be noted that “Use” of the CEW is defined as either:
1.drawing (the weapon from its holster);
2.aiming; or
3.discharging.

The number of times that CEWs are discharged is a very small proportion of their “use”. During the most recent reporting year (2013-14) in the Australian Capital Territory, CEWs were discharged on just four occasions, accounting for less than 14% of the 29 times a CEW was deemed to have been used.

There have been no deaths or cases of serious injury arising from CEWs being used by police in the ACT (or from CEW use by an AFP officer in any location).

The ACT Ombudsman can, and does, seek explanation and statistics around specific use of force incidents and is empowered to make recommendations for the ongoing transparency of the use of force recording and reporting process.

Since their introduction in 2011, the use of CEWs in the ACT by ACT Policing and by Specialist Response Group is as follows:
•2011-12: Used 48 times (23 drawn, 19 aim, 6 discharge)
•2012-13: Used 35 times (10 drawn, 24 aim, 1 discharge)

For the period 2013-14, the use of CEWs by ACT Policing only:
•Used 29 times (7 drawn, 17 aim, 4 discharge)

Source: Australian Federal Police