§ Mrs. ClwydTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 24 January,Official Report, column 152, (1) if he will take steps to ensure that electric shock equipment will never be used against members of the public;
(2) what police forces in the United Kingdom have applied to his Department for permission to hold or use electro-shock equipment;
(3) in what circumstances electro-shock equipment would be used against the civilian population;
(4) if he will list the police forces which possess electro-shock shields and prods for use against ferocious dogs;
(5) on what occasions electro-shock equipment has been used anywhere in the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. MacleanIt is for chief officers of police to ensure that the electric shock equipment which their forces may possess for use against ferocious dogs is not used against members of the public. No police force has asked for the permission of my right hon. and learned Friend to hold or use such equipment: there is no requirement for them to do so, except in the case of the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis. I am sure that no police force in this country would use such equipment against people. Information about which forces possess electric shock equipment for use against ferocious dogs is not available within the Home Office. I understand that the Association of Chief Police Officers is currently gathering information on this subject. It is for chief officers of police to decide how best to protect their officers against physical attack.