Tony O'Brien: Use tact instead of stun guns

As noted by Dr Rodney Harrison QC, significant civil liberties issues arise from the police decision to trial Taser stun guns in four police districts from September this year.

But if these concerns were not enough, last month's online police newsletter lists people in mental health crisis as one of the groups targeted for the use of Tasers.

If the trial goes ahead there is no doubt that people in mental health crisis will suffer the pain and indignity of this new electrical weapon.

The results will be to create an aversive environment in mental health emergencies in the community, and a breakdown in trust between those with mental health issues, their families and the police.

In the United States, whose model of Taser deployment New Zealand is to follow, up to eight per cent of Taser victims are subsequently admitted to a mental health facility.

Police and mental health professionals work together in mental health emergencies, especially those that involve assessment and treatment under the Mental Health (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act (1992).

Under this legislation, police may be called to assist in transporting patients for the purposes of assessment, and are often first to respond in crises arising in the community. Police skills in negotiation and de-escalation are crucial in these situations.

If use of the Mental Health Act is required, a duly authorised officer, who is almost always a nurse, is asked for advice, and directs transport to a place of safety. Other mental health staff are also involved, and the arrangement is safe and effective for patients and staff.

Police play a critical role, and there has been no indication that these emergency situations would be assisted by a measure as drastic as the use of stun gun.

In fact the reverse is true: introduction of this painful, dangerous and degrading weapon would undoubtedly exacerbate mental health emergencies, and would create more safety issues. In addition to specific mental health concerns, there are worrying unresolved issues about the safety of Tasers.

Trials of the Taser have involved healthy volunteers subjected to lesser shocks than those used in police operations, and have been conducted under quite different conditions.

Training specifications stipulate that those with pre-existing conditions should be excluded, volunteers should lie face down on protective matting, and should have their heads supported by another volunteer.

These conditions do not come close to the Taser's real world implementation.

Amnesty International has documented more than 150 cases of deaths following the use of Tasers - cases Taser International is quick to dismiss on the grounds that most victims had been using alcohol or other drugs. But drug users are another of the groups targeted in the proposed New Zealand trial.

In addition, mental health patients may well be taking prescribed medication that will increase the risk of death following use of Tasers. No research is available into either the general mental health consequences of Taser use, or on the risks posed to people taking prescribed medication for mental illness.

Mental health emergencies do not require stun guns. They require the sort of tact and interpersonal skills that characterise the present police response.

The proposed trial is only the beginning of a process that will end in confrontational and violent treatment of people suffering mental illness, and that will almost certainly result in deaths.

It is not too late to call a halt.

* Tony O'Brien is president of Te Ao Maramatanga (New Zealand College of Mental Health Nurses) Inc.