PIRC finds police justified in tasering Alloa man following gun incident

In an investigation report published today, the Police Investigations & Review Commissioner (PIRC) has concluded that armed police acted professionally in using a Taser to safely control and disarm a 24-year-old man who had earlier fired a gun.

The actions by officers ensured the man did not seriously injure himself or others following the incident in Alloa on 31 March 2015.

Police attended the man’s home after he had been seen chasing people in the street with an axe.

On arriving at his flat, the man told officers that he would shoot them if they tried to come in.

Police negotiators and family members made several failed attempts to persuade him to allow officers to enter.

Armed police were then sent to the incident after the man fired a long-barrelled weapon.

Having concerns for the man’s health, armed officers entered the flat and tried to speak to him, at which point he approached them carrying a weightlifting weight above his head.

One officer used his Taser to incapacitate the man, allowing him to be detained.

He suffered no injuries and was later charged with breach of the peace, culpable and reckless conduct and reckless discharge of a firearm.

The commissioner, Kate Frame said: “This was a dangerous situation in which the man in question posed a serious risk to his own wellbeing and that of the police officers and members of the public involved.

“In the circumstances there was no less forceful method that could have been used to resolve the incident safely – the use of a Taser was proportionate and justified.”