[2020 National Audit] 4 out of 10 Tasers Held by Police Are Over 10 Years Old 'Aged Products'

Taser gun. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] It has been confirmed that 4 out of 10 'electronic shock devices (Taser guns)' owned by the police are outdated products that have exceeded their service life.

According to the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee member Han Byung-do of the Democratic Party, based on the national audit data submitted by the National Police Agency on the 26th, as of September this year, out of 11,453 Tasers owned by the police, 4,510 units (39.3%) were products that exceeded the 10-year service life.

The number of outdated Tasers, which was only 170 units in 2016, surged to 870 units in 2017, 2,070 units in 2018, and 3,620 units in 2019. In particular, although the police discarded 597 outdated Tasers in 2016, they have not discarded a single unit since then until now.

The police maintain the position that they continue to use products that have exceeded their service life if there are no performance issues, but Han pointed out that questions are being raised about whether the safety of the products can be guaranteed.

Moreover, regarding the Taser cartridge electrodes, which have a service life of 5 years, the police have no data on the number of outdated products, raising concerns that this could threaten not only police safety but also public safety in emergency situations. In June 2017, in Hamyang, Gyeongnam, there was an incident where a man in his 40s died after being hit by a Taser.

Han said, "The aging of Tasers, which are key physical force tools to protect the police and the public, is accelerating," and expressed concern that "it is difficult to verify the safety of aging Tasers." He added, "The police must strive to prevent harm to both the police and the public through thorough maintenance and the introduction of new equipment."