News release

Taser Review Complete

Justice

The second part of a ministerial review of the policies and use of conductive energy devices, commonly known as Tasers, was released today, July 10, by Attorney General and Justice Minister Cecil Clarke.

The 36-page review contains 16 recommendations from an advisory panel that looked at policies and procedures governing conducted energy devises and their use in Nova Scotia.

Mr. Clarke has accepted all recommendations and work has begun on one of the key recommendations. Nova Scotia will be among the first provinces in the country to hire a Use of Force Co-ordinator to help establish new standards of use for the devices, including how, when and by whom, the device may deployed.

Mr. Clarke also placed an immediate interim restriction on the use of the conducted energy device to "situations of violent or aggressive resistance or active threat that may cause serious injury to the law enforcement officer, the subject or the public," until a full policy review can be completed by the co-ordinator.

"With these moves, I think we are positioning Nova Scotia to be a leader in future use of this technology," said Mr. Clarke. "This will help us ensure we strike the right balance between providing law-enforcement agencies with the proper tools necessary to do their job while keeping our citizens safe from crime."

The second, and final, part of the review contains advice from the advisory panel. Panel members are:

  • Constance Glube, retired chief justice of Nova Scotia
  • Ian Atkins, assistant commissioner, RCMP commanding officer
  • Halifax Police Deputy Chief Tony Burbridge, chair of the national Conducted Energy Device Steering Committee
  • Stan Kutcher, IWK/Maritime Outpatient Psychiatry
  • Christopher Murphy, chair of Dalhousie University sociology department and social anthropology
  • Dr. Matthew Bowes, chief medical examiner, Nova Scotia
  • Alice Almond, Cape Breton Association for Safer Cape Breton Communities

The ministerial review can be found on the Department of Justice website at www.gov.ns.ca/just .