Not ‘Mandatory or Necessary’: Police in Spain Exempt from Recording If They Use a Taser

THE Ministry of Interior has clarified that is not “mandatory” or “necessary” for police officers in Spain to record the event in which they use their tasers.

Body-worn cameras are an effective way of monitoring police behaviour and ensuring they do not take advantage of their position of power.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior has explained that there is no need for officers to record the event given that “there are other systems which can determine the traceability of these devices without having to affect fundamental rights, data protection of the privacy of individuals.”

These dangerous guns send 22 electrical pulses through your body, typically causing you to fall on the floor, if you are hit again then this electrical current is doubled.

However, Nidec, the company which creates the taser pistols claims that these weapons possess the necessary technology to activate body police cameras automatically when in use.

This is a very contentious debate amongst the human rights advocates and police authorities in Spain. For now, authorities have made clear that this is not a necessary practice, but organisations like Amnesty International believe in the need for strict and clear protocols when using these weapons.