First Taser Guns Issued to Slovene Police

By , 19 Oct 2018, 16:52 PM News
First Taser Guns Issued to Slovene Police policija.si

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STA, 19 October 2018 - The Slovenian police force will be supplied in the coming days with its first 20 Tasers, all of which will be equipped with a camera. Following a training programme, the most exposed police units are expected to start using them next year. The police will moreover get 60 body cameras, Dnevnik reported on Friday. 

According to the newspaper, the Taser guns, supplied by Lab Commerce as the only bidder in a public tender, will cost EUR 4,661 a piece, VAT included.

The separate 60 body cameras, worth a total of EUR 36,454, take the total value of the deal to EUR 129,686. Body cameras have been in use for some time, but in a very limited scope.

The introduction of electronic stun devices in the Slovenian police force was enabled by the most recent amendments to the police tasks and powers act.

Passed in February 2017, the amendments also envisage the use of systems for automatic licence plate recognition and set the rules for police use of drones.

The country's human rights ombudsman has asked the Constitutional Court to examine the amendments, arguing that the use of drones is defined too broadly.

According to Peter Sekavčnik of Lab Commerce, the camera-equipped Tasers are they X2 two-shot model produced by the leading US maker Axon. The camera is active all the time, but the record is kept only for the period shortly before and during the gun's use.

The use of a camera is prescribed by law, as is the keeping of records for any use of a Taser.

The rules envisage the shooting of electrodes as the primary method, while direct contact will be allowed as an exception, in case the shooting is unsuccessful. A medical check will have to be provided as soon as possible in both cases.

The Interior Ministry initially planned for laxer rules as regards the use of electronic stun devices, which can present a major shock to the target's body. Various safeguards were introduced after a pushback from human rights groups as well as the Justice Ministry.

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