2025/28522 - Use of force - Types deployed 2021-2025

REQUEST

 

I am requesting the following information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000:

 

1. For the provision of your constabulary/force/service’s total number of authorisations for the deployment of incapacitant sprays for the years of 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 (as recently as possible)

 

1.a For the provision of the type of incapacitant sprays that received authorisation for deployment in each of these years.

 

2. For the provision of your constabulary/force/service’s total number of authorisations for the deployment of tasers for the years 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 (as recently as possible)

 

2.a For the provision of the type of taser that received authorisation for deployment in these years (e.g., X26, X2, 7)

 

3. For the provision of your constabulary/force/service’s total number of authorisations for the deployment of baton rounds for the years 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 (as recently as possible)

 

3.a For a breakdown of the types of baton rounds that received authorisation for deployment in these years.

 

4. For the provision of your constabulary/force/service’s total number of authorisations for deployments of armed response units for the years 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 (as recently as possible)

 

4.a For a breakdown of the types of firearms authorised for deployment in these years.

 

REQUESTOR MODIFIES REQUEST 14/05/25

 

I am writing on the subject of an FOI request that I sent to you on Sunday 11 May 2025. I would like to clarify certain points and make some modifications to my original request.

In my original request, I asked:

For the provision of your constabulary/force/service’s total number of authorisations of incapacitant sprays for the years of 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 (as recently as possible)

• For the provision of the type of incapacitant sprays that received authorisation for deployment in each of these years.
• For the provision of your constabulary/force/service’s total number of authorisations for the deployment of tasers for the years 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 (as recently as possible)
• For the provision of the type of taser that received authorisation for deployment in these years (e.g., X26, X2, 7)

 

I am aware that you don’t receive “authorisation” for these types of equipment, therefore, I would like to rephrase this request to:

 

 For the total number of deployments of incapacitant spray/tasers from January 2022 to as recently as possible in 2025

 

A breakdown of the circumstances of these deployments.

Further clarification: when I refer to “deployment”, this includes a taser being drawn from its holster without being fired.

 

In my original request I also asked:

For the provision of your constabulary/force/service’s total number of authorisations for the deployment of baton rounds for the years 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 (as recently as possible)

For a breakdown of the types of baton rounds that received authorisation for deployment in these years.

For the provision of your constabulary/force/service’s total number of authorisations for deployments of armed response units for the years 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 (as recently as possible)

For a breakdown of the types of firearms authorised for deployment in these years.

I would like to modify this request to:

 

For the provision of the total number of authorisations for the deployment of attenuating energy projectiles/armed response units from January 2022 to as recently as possible in 2025

 

A breakdown of the reasons for why the authorisation was given in each instance.

 

CLARIFICATION NEEDED FROM REQUESTOR 22/05/25

 

What does the requestor mean by question 3 and 3a where they ask for baton rounds? Do they mean police batons or something else?

 

CLARIFICATION RECEIVED FROM REQUESTOR 22/05/25

 

By baton rounds, I am referring to Attenuating Energy projectiles or AEPs.

 

RESPONSE