National police will be supplied with electric shock weapons very soon. This is something they have been requesting for numerous years so as to reduce the use of firearms.
These weapons as generally referred to as electric shock weapons or tasers, however, they are officially called electronic control devices. This means when a police officer uses one, it is not a bullet that leaves the device but rather two cables with darts that hit the desired target.
The electric shock weapons produce a 50,000-volt electric shock which causes momentary and total paralysis of the muscles without impacting consciousness. After the officer has released the trigger, the individual they are attempting to restrain will return to normal.
Police have been requesting these sorts of weapons for some time now so as to avoid the use of firearms and to help understand criminals without causing injuries. Now, they will be carried by officers who are working patrol duties. The weapons will not be part of their individual equipment but instead, used collectively.
Training in using these weapons correctly will be provided also to minimise risk and there will also be guidelines around when they can be used. The strategy is that every shift there will be one qualified officer.
Police unions have been asking for this kind of equipment for some time. In 2017, following the Independence referendum in Catalonia and the terrorist attacks in Las Ramblas in Barcelona, the Sindicato Unificado de Policía (SUP) asked for tasers to be given as soon as possible as an intermediate means of defence.
