Indigenous population at risk from Taser rollout: academics The
continuing rollout of electric stun-guns to Australian police
has raised concerns that Indigenous Australians will be over-
represented as targets of the controversial technology.
Academics also say that research into the physical harm these
weapons inflict is inadequate because the guns are tested on
healthy people in controlled environments. Front-line police
officers in Western Australian and the Northern Territory are
now being issued with the stun-guns, known as Tasers. Tasers,
which deliver up to 50,000-volt electrical pulses over five
seconds to immobilise people, are also due to be introduced
across Queensland police services from July. In South Australia,
New South Wales and Victoria, Tasers are restricted to use by
special response teams. The latest three jurisdictions to adopt
the Tasers have Australia's highest Aboriginal populations.
Professor Chris Cunneen, a criminologist at the University of
New South Wales, says Indigenous Austral