Original scientific paper
Electric-shock stun device as a possible coercive measure in police proceedings
Marijan Jozić
; Police Academy, Police College, MoIRC, Zagreb Croatia
Silvija Pejaković-Đipić
; Police Academy, Police College, MoIRC, Zagreb Croatia
Jurica Pačelat
; Police Academy, Police College, MoIRC, Zagreb Croatia
Abstract
Police departments around the world, in order to control suspects who are physically actively resisting arrest, are increasingly supplying their police officers with less lethal weapons because they are considered to bring a lower risk for lethal outcome or serious injury. Electric stun guns are devices like guns designed to incapacitate a subject (usually a rioter) by “electric discharge” without causing significant injury. They are considered adequate weapons for use when the level of escalation is below the level of justifiable usage of firearms. At the same time, electric stun guns are used by the police as a means of self-defense. However, there are many contradictions, and doubts about the use and safety of the “electric stun gun” usage, mainly due to the fact that a vast variety of models is available of different intensity and extent of action. Therefore, the aim of this paper was to highlight independent scientific and professional feedback and opinions of different users of electric stun guns and to provide quality guidelines and protocols for use while simultaneously respecting endogenous and exogenous limiting factors. The newly created questionnaire examined the attitudes and perceptions of students of the Police College in Zagreb (N=157; age 26.5±5.74 years; 28.5% of civilian participants) on the use of an electric stun gun (taser) as a means of coercion in police practice. Descriptive statistical procedures (arithmetic mean, standard deviation, percentage) were applied, and the t-test for independent samples was used to compare two groups (students police officers and students citizens). The most important finding of the research is that 41.1% of the respondents do not have a clear attitude towards whether the electric stun gun should be introduced into Croatian police practice; 34.8% of respondents “mostly agree”, and only 12% of respondents “completely agree” with the introduction of electric stun guns in police practice in the Republic of Croatia. Such a discrepancy in the answers points to the conclusion of considerable ambiguities regarding the advantages, disadvantages and safety aspects of the use of an electric stun gun, as well as ambiguities regarding its introduction into demanding and complex police practice.
Keywords
electric stun gun; stun gun; taser pistol; electrically conductive weapon; taser performance
Hrčak ID:
285043
URI
Publication date:
2.11.2022.
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