[Greens-Media] FW: Stun gun secrets

[Manderson, Roland]

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ACT Greens MLA Deb Foskey MEDIA RELEASE
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18 Aug 06


Stun gun secrets

ACT Greens MLA Deb Foskey today called for the release of the police evaluation of the taser (stun gun) trial.

"When the issue of stun guns was raised at Legal Affairs Committee public hearings the police made it clear they saw them as a potentially valuable tool, and so they were trialing their use" Dr Foskey said today.

"I had imagined that the evaluation of that trial would be both rigorous and open."

"Since then, concerns have been raised around the world about how effective and how dangerous these stun guns are."

"The AFP reassures us that no one has been injured when tasers were trialed in the ACT, and that they were effective when used."

"As is often the case, however, the analysis of that trial has not been released to the public."

 "I'm never sure if that simply reflects an AFP view that they know better than the public and ought simply to be left to their own devices, or if there are real risks to police operations if the evaluation report was made public."

 "In the absence of convincing arguments that the report needs to remain confidential it is incumbent upon the AFP to release that report before the use of stun guns is permanently approved" Dr Foskey said.


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Roland Manderson   Media Advisor
ACT   Greens    MLA  Deb  Foskey  
Legislative Assembly for the ACT 
ph(02)62050551      m 0412241379
====== www.debfoskey.com ======= 
  
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