First I am a supporter of our police.
But not unconditionally.
And not blindly.
Taser deaths surely remind us some are not up to the standard we want.
In my former roll working for the dysfunctional NSW roads authority, I saw police flog a car thief by the road side, a very real bashing and for? hiding in the bush.
We know this tool is needed ,was introduced to stop lethal confrontation but now it is killing.
The death in custody of a man who had mental health issues not once but twice tasered.
The NSW minister telling us his personnel got it right.
Tell me, how do the British police do so much better?

Having never been in a 'drunken brawl', or committed a 'serious crime',resulting in incarceration,or, having never threatened the police for that matter, I have never been ta-sered.

Perhaps there in lies the answer!

Perhaps there in lies the answer!
rehctub,
you mean getting punished for doing the wrong thing ? C'mon, what's the world coming to ?
I have spoken many times with police & they're all frustrated at the Magistrates letting the mongrels off lightly yet severely hammer some driver whose tail light has a crack. Those who really got stuck into the bloke obviously weren't police. My guess is they were cops. I once (as JP) remanded a young bloke in custody for smashing up a supermarket & causing severe damage & disruption. Of course I was overruled by a do-gooder legal aid moron. The poor police were nearly in tears from frustration.

rehctub, "Having never been in a 'drunken brawl', or committed a 'serious crime',resulting in incarceration,or, having never threatened the police for that matter, I have never been ta-sered."

Who says you have to have been involved in any of that or have committed any crimes to be zapped?

Man Tasered 13 times by WA police.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/video/2010/10/04/3029218.htm

There is the problem, police can use the Taser to punish and coerce, presumably because he didn't comply in a flash with what was demanded. He may not have even comprehended the direction, or he could have been reluctant to drop all of his clothes for a strip search in an open office area. Who knows, but all of the police involved in this disgusting debacle should be told to walk. It looked like the usual entertainment the way the police milled for a gawk and knowing that two of them could easily have handled the slight wreck of humanity that was being abused.

Tasers are a useful crime stopping tool. But if you're a police officer, and someone is behaving irrationally, which is easier..

a) Use taser
b) Talk them down and defuse situation.

It's a good way to deal with the mentally ill. Much safer for the police to taser first and ask questions later. It's an OH&S issue.

Bzzzz.. What's that? you just wanted to ask for directions?. Bzzz. oh sorry, I cant hear you down there.

Having tasered a man 98 times, in 2009, or some outrageous number, and been caught out by the media for doing so, the Qld Police learned their lesson.

The next opportunity they shot a man, twice I think, because they knew he had a heart condition and didn't want to run the risk of killing him with a taser blast.

Who says you can't teach old dogs new tricks, eh?

Who doubts we live in The Smart State?