Use of tasers by the States of Jersey Police in environments where airborne hazards were present

​​​Request 733297795

Request for information concerning the use of Tasers by the States of Jersey Police in environments where chemical irritants, gas, or airborne hazards were present, covering the period from March 2020 to the present.

Specifically, the request covers:

1. The total number of incidents where a Taser was drawn or discharged in situations involving the presence or recent use of chemical irritants, sprays, or airborne substances (including PAVA or CS gas), especially in enclosed environments such as homes, custody cells, or vehicles.

2. In how many such incidents the subject was known or later confirmed to have cardiac, respiratory, neurological, or mental health conditions (examples listed).

3. Internal policies, guidance, training materials, or risk assessments addressing the safety and medical risks of using Tasers in gas-contaminated or poorly ventilated environments.

4. Records of complaints, reviews, or incident investigations related to Taser use in the presence of gas or sprays, including any safeguarding failures.

Response

Under Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011, a scheduled public authority may refuse to supply information if it estimates that the cost of doing so would exceed the amount prescribed by the relevant Regulations.

In this case, we have identified that this request is one of multiple requests that have been submitted either:

• by the same individual; or

• by different individuals who appear to be acting in concert or as part of a coordinated campaign.

Regulation 3 of the Freedom of Information (Costs) (Jersey) Regulations 2014 states If two or more requests for information are received:

• within a period of 60 consecutive working days (or a longer period if reasonable in the circumstances),

• from the same person or from different persons acting together, and

• the requests relate to similar or related information,

then the estimated cost of complying with any of the requests must be taken to be the total estimated cost of complying with all of them. This regulation supports Article 16(3) of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011. As the applicant’s previous similar request (ref. 730226037) has already exceeded the cost limitation, the States of Jersey Police decline to provide a response. 

​Article applied

Article 16 - A scheduled public authority may refuse to supply information if cost excessive

(3) Regulations may provide that, in such circumstances as the Regulations prescribe, if two or more requests for information are made to a scheduled public authority –

(a) by one person; or

(b) by different persons who appear to the scheduled public authority to be acting in concert or in pursuance of a campaign, the estimated cost of complying with any of the requests is to be taken to be the estimated total cost of complying with all of them.​​