Seven in ten people believe it's acceptable for officers to carry a Taser

An online survey of 2,004 adults aged 16-75 in England and Wales, commissioned by the Police Federation of England and Wales, has shown that 71% of survey participants consider it fairly or completely acceptable for police officers to carry a Taser when on patrol.

In comparison, 12% said it was fairly or completely unacceptable for officers to do so

Three quarters (75%) say that if a police officer were carrying a Taser, it would make no difference to their likelihood to approach the officer for assistance.

5% said that they would be more likely to approach an officer equipped with a Taser for assistance, whilst 17% say they would be less likely to approach an officer carrying a Taser.

In addition, 89% said forces should be allowed to train and equip officers with a Taser if the use of a Taser is automatically recorded by Body Worn Video, with 6% of survey participants saying that they should not.

• Download the survey topline (PDF)
• Download the computer tables (PDF)

Technical note

• Fieldwork dates: 11-15th November
• All figures in percentages
• Base: All Adults aged 16-75 in England and Wales, n = 2,004
• Data has been weighted (by age, region, working status, social grade and ethnicity within gender) to the known population profile
• Interviews conducted online
• Numbers may not always add up to 100% due to computer rounding or multiple answers