Dandenong and Springvale general-duties police are the first to carry Tasers as part of a roll-out across Melbourne.
The first crop of 160 officers, including Public Order Response Team members, have completed training at the Victoria Police Academy, with the new weapons already deployed in the field.
Police say that already the Tasers have been drawn to safely arrest multiple suspects including a man wielding a machete in a pizza shop and a sex offender who taunted police with a pickaxe and hammer before arming himself with a knife.
In more serious instances Tasers have been deployed such as when a man allegedly grabbed at a police officer’s gun.
They were also deployed when a man armed with a knife allegedly punched an officer in the face and an accused carjacker who violently resisted arrest after an erratic driving spree.
Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said the devices gave police and PSOs “crucial middle ground in dealing with high-risk, volatile situations”.
“More often than not merely drawing a Taser is enough to bring a situation to a safe conclusion.
“In many ways they are a negotiation tool. They’re about less force, not more.
“The community should be assured any officer carrying a Taser will undergo rigorous training whether they’re having an existing device replaced or getting one for the first time.”
Police Association Victoria secretary Wayne Gatt said the association was proud to “make this happen” not only for the safety of its members, but the safety of the community.
“We’ve long argued that there’s an enormous gap between a baton or OC foam or hands-on use of force, and the use of a firearm at the other end. A Taser provides a less-than-lethal option that bridges that gap.”
“Put simply, they save lives.”
The next generation Axon Taser T7 devices are linked to an officer’s body worn camera.
“The next generation devices Victoria Police has selected also activate an officer’s body worn camera if it’s not already recording,” Chief Comm Patton said.
“That means there’s an independent record of what occurred – whether the Taser was deployed or not.”
The camera will start recording as soon as the Taser is drawn and the safety switch turned off.
The footage will include what happened in the 30 seconds beforehand.
The cameras of police and PSOs nearby will also be activated if they’re not already recording.
Police training includes strict protocols on when a Taser can and can’t be used as well as a series of reality-based scenarios.
A dozen Taser training centres have been established and are now in operation.
Around 40 Taser instructors and assistant instructors have been employed.
The Critical Incident Response Team, Special Operations Group and general duties police at regional stations are having their existing Tasers replaced.
It’s expected the entire rollout to more than 10,300 frontline police and PSOs will be complete by September 2026.
Highway Patrol and transit police are included in the $214 million rollout.
Around 320 metropolitan and regional police stations will receive a fitout to facilitate storing the devices.
Victoria Police’s specialist officers have been using the devices for 20 years.
The Special Operations Group has had Tasers since 2004 and the Critical Incident Response Team since 2005.
Frontline police based at numerous regional stations were equipped with them following a trial which began in 2010.
