RCMP Watch

Matt Kieltyka (24 Hours) - The use of Tasers needs to be restricted, according to the the chair of the body that oversees RCMP complaints.

Paul Kennedy, chair of the Commission for Public Complaints against the RCMP, appeared before the Braidwood Inquiry into Taser use on Wednesday and said he has a problem with the way the weapon is currently used.

“The bottom line is this: We are dealing with a device that causes intense pain,” Kennedy told the inquiry. “Police officers do not seem to appreciate the seriousness of the device.”

According to Kennedy’s recommendations, which are outlined in a report he released earlier this month, Tasers should only be considered once the person police are dealing with become combative.

Currently, police in B.C. are able to use the device when a subject is resisting.

Kennedy also wants the device taken out of the hands of officers who have less than five years experience on the job.

Those changes would help make sure Tasers are used under appropriate circumstances.

“The floor has fallen out,” Kennedy said. “When a 13-year-old boy is intoxicated, causing trouble, tries to run away and is Tasered, I have a problem with that. Where is the threat to the public?”

Kennedy’s sentiments were echoed by Dirk Ryneveld, the police complaint commissioner for B.C.’s municpal forces.

He told the inquiry yesterday morning that Tasers are increasingly being used as a “come along” tool and recommends stiffening up Taser policy.

Yesterday was the last day of the Braidwood Inquiry’s first phase, which focused on Taser use in B.C. The second phase, which begins Oct. 20, will be investigating the events surrounding Robert Dziekanski’s death at the Vancouver International Airport last year.