More Thames Valley Police officers to be armed with Tasers

Around 140 new Tasers will be rolled out to officers in Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire after the Police and Crime Commissioner Anthony Stansfeld secured money from the government.

TVP has been allocated £115,000 of additional funding to role out the new Tasers and give the right training to officers, from a £10m pot of money dedicated to the cause.

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Mr Stansfeld’s deputy Matthew Barber said: “We welcome the news that the Thames Valley will receive an additional £115,500 towards funding this important equipment.

“Tasers will be given to specially trained frontline staff to protect themselves and others in potentially dangerous situations.

“It is vital that our officers are appropriately equipped to deal with a variety of situations in their role and this funding will help us to provide them with the best equipment to do that.

“We’re delighted to be able to equip more staff appropriately in the fight against violent crime.”

Home Secretary, Priti Patel, added: “Our brave police officers put themselves in harm’s way to protect us and I am committed to giving them the tools they need to keep themselves and the public safe.

“The rise in assaults on officers is appalling which is why I am providing funding to equip up to 10,000 more officers with Tasers - an important tactical option when facing potentially physically violent situations.”

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In August it was revealed that 600 of Boris Johnson’s promised police officers are expected to be recruited across Thames Valley Police.

It’s part of Mr Johnson’s pledge to roll out 10,000 new officer roles across the county.

He made the pact as one of his key commitments during the Conservative leadership race before the general election in December.

The roles are now being recruited.