Amnesty Opposes the Introduction of Tasers to New Zealand

For more information on Amnesty International's position on tasers. click here. 

Amnesty International continues to oppose any introduction of Tasers by the New Zealand Police before a thorough and independent inquiry into their uses and effects occurs.

Within its Annual Report 2008 Amnesty International documents four deaths in Canada and 69 deaths in the USA last year alone linked to Taser use. A total of 300 deaths have occurred following Taser use in North America since their introduction in 2001.

No inquiry has looked into the impact of Taser use in these deaths and until such time as one does Amnesty is calling for a moratorium on their introduction and use.

Calls by the New Zealand Police and politicians suggest Tasers provide a level of force that is not lethal. However, as Amnesty International reports highlight, this is not the case. Tasers are weapons of lethal force and Amnesty International’s reports on Tasers must contribute to any decision made by the Commissioner of Police who is currently deliberating whether the weapon will be introduced to front-line Police officers.

Amnesty International continues to urge that any decision made on the introduction of Tasers is to be made at a ministerial rather than Police Commissioner level alone.