Report suggests police talk targets down before drawing Tasers

The police watchdog has released a report into the use of Tasers by frontline police between August last year, when they were first rolled out to general duties sergeants, and the end of March this year.

The Commonwealth Ombudsman found police used Tasers 31 times in eight months, discharging the weapons three times, aiming them at a person 16 times, and drawing them from their holster 12 times.

The Ombudsman did not comment on the appropriateness of Taser use, while acknowledging ACT Policing had provided ''comprehensive'' detail on the weapon's use.

But the report did highlight potential problems with negotiating prior to drawing the weapon.

It found police reported negotiating or de-escalating in just 12 of the 27 relevant cases.

The Ombudsman conceded negotiations may be difficult when dealing with violent, dangerous individuals in rapidly escalating situations. ''However, we also note that effective communication skills can sometimes be the difference between an incident ending in injury to the subject or police and the incident ending relatively peacefully,'' the report said.

It was noted that officers may have negotiated with their potential target, and simply forgotten to record it in their formal reports.

ACT Policing welcomed the report yesterday, and said it would re-emphasise the importance of negotiating to frontline police through training and the Taser Review Committee, which scrutinises each use of the weapon.

''The report is an indication of effectiveness of the model we've adopted, which has resulted in only three actual discharges of a Taser over a 15-month period,'' a spokeswoman said.

''We are confident that our officers use a Taser appropriately, which has been corroborated in the Ombudsman's report, and by the limited use of Tasers in the ACT,'' she said.

Police only considered other options for use of force, such as OC spray, in about half the incidents.

Only 13 people were armed when police used Tasers, but the vast majority were viewed as a threat to themselves, police, or the public.

Tasers were deployed 12 times against mentally ill Canberrans, seven of whom were armed.

The ACT report comes after a damning report on the use of Tasers by NSW Police this week.

The NSW Ombudsman found police misused the weapons one in seven times, and made 46 recommendations to completely overhaul the way Tasers are used.

The Commonwealth Ombudsman's only clear recommendation was that ACT Policing better explain what negotiation and de-escalation techniques were used by adding a separate reporting category into their official reports.

ACT Policing accepted that recommendation in-principle, but said the time and costs of amending their systems made it unviable.

''We have however committed to emphasising the importance of negotiation and de-escalating - through annual training, the Taser Review Committee, and internal communications - to all our members,'' a spokeswoman said.

Police said communication was still their ''primary tool'' in controlling potentially violent situations. But they say a decision to use force is often made in difficult circumstances.

''There are incidents that our members are faced with which involve subjects who may be viewed as a threat to themselves, the public, or our officers, and who may be armed,'' a spokeswoman said. ''Our officers, as the report acknowledges, are often making decisions as to the appropriate use of force option under stressful conditions.''