Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reasons information held by her Department regarding the ethnicity, age and gender of people involved in police Taser incidents has not been included in annually published statistics; and if she will ensure such information is included in future publications of annual police Taser incident statistics.

The Government supports the need for transparent and accurate data on how the police are using force. That is why the Home Secretary asked Chief Constable David Shaw to carry out an in depth review of Taser data and other use of force. The review will present options for collecting, collating and publishing data on how force including Taser is being used by the police, who it is being used on, and what the outcomes are. Chief Constable David Shaw’s Use of Force Data Review is expected to report to the Home Secretary later this year. As with sensitive powers like stop and search, the police use of force warrants proper accountability and transparency.