French police plan to replace chokeholds with stun guns

France has announced today that it will test stun guns for wider use, after being forced to ban chokeholds.

EARLIER today, the government announced that it would no longer teach the chokehold manoeuvre to new recruits, resisting a complete ban, until an alternative can be found. Stun guns or tasers are a potential alternative. Like in the US, they are increasingly becoming a weapon of choice to protect officers in European countries like Italy, the Netherlands and the UK.

However, the use of stun guns has also come under fire. For example, around 18 people are reported to have died from a stun gun in the UK, according to Amnesty International. Not only can stun guns/tasers cause death, but some law enforcement authorities believe they are actually not effective enough either. According to Washington DC’s Police Executive Research Forum, stun guns “fail to subdue people around 45 per cent of the time.”

The other worrying concern is the disproportionate use of stun guns on black men and those with mental health issues. In fact, the UK’s government statistics have also shown that black people were more likely to have stun guns used on them, compared to white people. This again, raises the question of bias and prejudice – concerns that have been raised by the Black Lives Matter movement, as well as other organisations. Nevertheless, the use of stun guns/tasers, although limited in France at the moment, may well increase if the widespread “stun gun test” is deemed to be a success.

The French police authorities have also issued a statement calling for the chokehold ban to be lifted, until an alternative can be found, as reported.