Article content

B.C. has approved the use of an updated Taser weapon for police around the province to use as a less-lethal weapon.

A statement from the Ministry of Public Safety says the Taser 7 offers the ability to discharge a second shot without reloading a new cartridge and has a short-distance shooting range option, among other “enhancements.”

Article content

The ministry says the new Taser was approved by the director of police services after getting advice from a panel that includes police, the Independent Investigations Office and the British Columbia Schizophrenia Society.

Article content

It says a nine-month field trial last year involved officers from the Vancouver, Victoria and Port Moody police departments and found that the model was “effective, and no serious injuries or deaths among subjects, officers or bystanders were reported.”

The statement says the panel has recommended several conditions to ensure all police agencies in B.C. update their training programs and adjust their internal policies and procedures to align with provincial standards on conducted energy weapons like Tasers.

Standards for conducted energy weapons were set out in B.C. in 2012, arising from the Braidwood Commission of inquiry into the death of Robert Dziekanski, who died in 2007 at Vancouver airport after being jolted several times by a stun gun.

The government says the weapon is already authorized for use in Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Saskatchewan and Alberta.

Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don’t miss the news you need to know — add VancouverSun.com and TheProvince.com to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here.

You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber: For just $14 a month, you can get unlimited access to The Vancouver Sun, The Province, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Vancouver Sun | The Province.

Share this article in your social network