Jabberwocky
Frumious Bandersnatch
A TEENAGER on the Sunshine Coast tasered and doused in capsicum spray by police was done as a complete “last resort”, authorities say.
Police were called to Serenity Court in Buderim, Queensland on Wednesday night when concerned neighbours raised the alarm.
When they arrived, the 15-year-old was reportedly on foot doing laps of the street, screaming and charging into bins.
According to ABC journalist Bianca Clare, who witnessed the event, the boy was also running into traffic and lashing out at paramedics.
The boy, believed to be having a bad reaction to the drug acid, was tasered by police three times to subdue him.
“He was naked, running up and down the street. It was really quite traumatic to see,” Clare said.
Acid can give users a sense of euphoria or spaced-out bliss however it can also lead to a feeling of intense terror. A “bad trip” on acid can last for up to 12 hours.
Even small quantities of acid can cause users to hallucinate and become deluded as the sizes and shapes of objects become distorted.
Superintendent Darryl Johnson told the ABC the boy was tasered because he was a threat to neighbours.
“We had to use the taser on a number of occasions to subdue the young fellow. We only use that as a last resort, and our police officers were faced with that last night,” Superintendent Johnson said.
Queensland Police confirmed to news.com.au the investigation is ongoing. No charges have been laid and the teenager was taken to hospital.
The law in Australia currently completely restricts Taser ownership in all states and territories.
The weapon is only available for police use with some states even restricting it to special operations groups.
The US on the other hand offers little to no restrictions on Taser ownership in 45 of its 50 states.
While Tasers are seen as a way of dealing with dangerous or harmful situations in a nonlethal way, they have also caused numerous deaths in Australia and around the world since their introduction into the police force over 20 years ago.
An extensive investigation done by Reuters found 1005 cases in the United States alone where a person died after police had used a Taser on them.
The death count in Australia is much lower, with at least six deaths being linked to Taser use up until 2012.
When a 2007 report from the United Nations Committee Against Torture said it “was worried the use of Taser weapons provoking extreme pain constituted a form of torture”, the chairman of the Taser Board Tom Smith decided to respond.
After calling the UN “out of touch” with the needs of the modern police force, Smith listed all the other “injuries” police weapons inflict.
“Pepper spray goes on for hours and hours, hitting someone with a baton breaks limbs, shooting someone with a firearm causes permanent damage, even punching and kicking — the intent of those tools is to inflict pain, ... with the Taser, the intent is not to inflict pain, it’s to end the confrontation. When it’s over, it’s over,” he said.
Source: http://www.news.com.au/national/que...d/news-story/fe6cf94c04979afaed5ab3dd439bfe79
Police were called to Serenity Court in Buderim, Queensland on Wednesday night when concerned neighbours raised the alarm.
When they arrived, the 15-year-old was reportedly on foot doing laps of the street, screaming and charging into bins.
According to ABC journalist Bianca Clare, who witnessed the event, the boy was also running into traffic and lashing out at paramedics.
The boy, believed to be having a bad reaction to the drug acid, was tasered by police three times to subdue him.
“He was naked, running up and down the street. It was really quite traumatic to see,” Clare said.
Acid can give users a sense of euphoria or spaced-out bliss however it can also lead to a feeling of intense terror. A “bad trip” on acid can last for up to 12 hours.
Even small quantities of acid can cause users to hallucinate and become deluded as the sizes and shapes of objects become distorted.
Superintendent Darryl Johnson told the ABC the boy was tasered because he was a threat to neighbours.
“We had to use the taser on a number of occasions to subdue the young fellow. We only use that as a last resort, and our police officers were faced with that last night,” Superintendent Johnson said.
Queensland Police confirmed to news.com.au the investigation is ongoing. No charges have been laid and the teenager was taken to hospital.
The law in Australia currently completely restricts Taser ownership in all states and territories.
The weapon is only available for police use with some states even restricting it to special operations groups.
The US on the other hand offers little to no restrictions on Taser ownership in 45 of its 50 states.
While Tasers are seen as a way of dealing with dangerous or harmful situations in a nonlethal way, they have also caused numerous deaths in Australia and around the world since their introduction into the police force over 20 years ago.
An extensive investigation done by Reuters found 1005 cases in the United States alone where a person died after police had used a Taser on them.
The death count in Australia is much lower, with at least six deaths being linked to Taser use up until 2012.
When a 2007 report from the United Nations Committee Against Torture said it “was worried the use of Taser weapons provoking extreme pain constituted a form of torture”, the chairman of the Taser Board Tom Smith decided to respond.
After calling the UN “out of touch” with the needs of the modern police force, Smith listed all the other “injuries” police weapons inflict.
“Pepper spray goes on for hours and hours, hitting someone with a baton breaks limbs, shooting someone with a firearm causes permanent damage, even punching and kicking — the intent of those tools is to inflict pain, ... with the Taser, the intent is not to inflict pain, it’s to end the confrontation. When it’s over, it’s over,” he said.
Source: http://www.news.com.au/national/que...d/news-story/fe6cf94c04979afaed5ab3dd439bfe79
