Cleveland Police has been given almost £40,000 to buy Tasers

A bid was submitted by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) to buy the electrical weapons.

The Home Office now says that the OPCC will get the £39,600, the full request, to pass on to the force. This works out at £825 per Taser.

Police and Crime Commissioner for Cleveland, Barry Coppinger, says he has the public’s backing on the issue.

He surveyed the members of the public on Tasers before submitting the bid, and said that some of the responses formed part of his application.

Mr Coppinger says almost two thirds of residents in the survey wanted extra Taser capacity in the area, with more than 67% saying they would feel safer if every police officer was to carry one.

The survey also said that more than 74% felt it would make no difference to their decision to approach an officer if they were carrying a Taser. Around 88% said they trusted Cleveland Police officers to use Tasers responsibly.

Mr Coppinger said: “I have always fought for more funding for Cleveland Police so I am pleased that the Home Office has granted our full request for funding.

“When asked, the overwhelming response from residents in the area was that they would feel safer if more police were armed with Taser, and this funding will go a considerable way to giving them that peace of mind.

“It was important to me to gauge the public’s opinion before submitting this bid. I want to thank those residents who took the time to complete our survey. It just goes to show that your views really do make a difference.”

Assistant chief constable, Steve Graham, said: “Nationally, the number of officers in a force who are trained and equipped with Taser is a decision for individual chief constables, based upon an assessment of local threat and risk.

“In Cleveland Police we are currently increasing our numbers in line with this assessment and will keep this under review.

“We welcome the additional funding agreed by the Home Office which will support our future plans.”