Priti Patel unveils plan to 'dramatically' boost number of police officers carrying Tasers
2 min read
Police chiefs are to be given the power to "dramatically" boost the number of officers who are able to carry Tasers, Priti Patel has announced.
The Home Secretary said up to 60% of cops in England will be able to carry the devices while on duty as part of the Government's drive to crack down on violent crime.
In her keynote speech to the Conservative Party conference, Ms Patel pledged £10m in new ring-fenced funding to go towards the policy.
She said: “I am equipping Police Officers with the kit and tools they need to protect themselves and others from harm.
“I have created a new fund to give police chiefs the ability to train and equip police officers with Tasers.
“It is the job of chief constables to make that operational decision. It is the job of the Home Secretary to empower them to do so. I am giving them that power.”
The Cabinet minister said that on top of the Government's plans for 20,000 new police officers, the new policy would make sure the Tories are "re-established as the party of law and order".
She also announced plans to invest £20m in “identifying and dismantling county lines drugs gangs which exploit children and the vulnerable”.
It would include investment in technology to examine vehicle registration plate data and a specially assigned team within the British Transport Police.
The unit will work with uniformed and undercover officers at railway stations in an effort to disrupt the movement of drugs and people involved in gangs, they added.
The Government says it will also be made easier for cash related to county lines to be seized, which would in turn boost the resources available to police.
Elsewhere, Ms Patel announced a £25m “safer streets fund” that would help boost CCTV and street lighting in a bid to curb burglaries, thefts and shoplifting in crime hotspots.
"We are coming after the thugs, gangs, and criminals who make law-abiding people’s lives a misery," she said.
"I have the backs of all of the police officers who put their lives on the line day in, day out to keep us all safe and am giving them the tools to do their job.
"We are delivering on the public’s priorities while Jeremy Corbyn and Dianne Abbott side with the criminals."
In her speech, Ms Patel also reiterated Boris Johnson's plans to end free movement and bring in an "Australian-style points system" after Britain has left the European Union.
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