Ombudsman condemns police taser use

Here's the PDF.
I've not read much of it, is very long. But the summary starts on page 193.

Although it obviously doesn't address the other issues involved in the police brutality of Curti (misuse of capsicum spray for example, or the willingness to inflict great pain) it does address exactly the issues related to the way tasers were used with Curti. Strange it hasn't investigated Curti's case at all, perhaps due to the ongoing nature of it? In any case the report is damning.

ELIZA HARVEY: The Ombudsman concluded that the taser shouldn't have been fired because there was no evidence of imminent or actual violence resistance. These case studies were among 2,000 studied by Ombudsman Bruce Barbour. It's the biggest audit of the controversial weapons conducted across the country. In 27 cases he concluded they shouldn't have been fired. BRUCE BARBOUR, 

NSW OMBUDSMAN: That is 27 too many. It's the equivalent of one a week, and we've got to make sure that that doesn't continue. more 
__________________________________ 

The report reviewed 556 incidents between June 2010 and November 2010 and found the devices were used inappropriately on 80 occasions. 

In 27 cases, police were not under serious threat and should not have fired the weapon at all. 

Police tasered people who were handcuffed or fleeing, and in some cases victims were tasered repeatedly - actions that Mr Barbour said should be outlawed. 

The report makes 46 recommendations about how police should use a Taser and how they should improve Taser training for general duties officers. 

"(Taser) can present significant safety and medical risks, and there is a justifiable public concern about the potential for unsafe and inappropriate use," Mr Barbour states in the report. more

I'm not impressed at all with the police reaction; one of defending themselves and smoothing it over. And last night all the commissioner was saying is that he would "consider" the findings of the report. Bullshit man. This needs gov action, with the NSW gov ordering the police to comply with the reports recommendations.

What enrages me so fuckin much about all this was this one line by the Police Association of NSW:

The Police Association of NSW (PANSW) said assaults and injuries to officers had plummeted since the introduction of Tasers. more

That is an outrageous thing to say! Of course officers aren't going to be hurt when they're bloody tasering someone to death! Fucks sake! What a completely stupid thing to say. It just shows the mentality though; they think they're in some kind of war against us, instead of being there to protect and help us. All kitted out in their head kicker boots and all. It's designed to intimidate, not help you.

That Police Commissioner Scipioni has been around for years. The new gov should have sacked him. He's a thug through and through, concerned for his police and not the public. He's the idiot responsible for getting a water canon here in Sydney, years ago now. It remains the only one in Australia, and has never been used. What a fuckin waste of money. I still remember him crapping on on the telly when I was nursing two broken ribs from the police (all 68 kilos of me) and he's on there saying "I'm tired of my officers being used as punching bags". Oh fuck off, get real.