Tasers are a necessary police tool, Day says
Last Updated: Monday, November 19, 2007 | 6:11 PM ET
The Canadian Press
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Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day said he's not surprised most people who get shot by Tasers by police are unarmed when it happens.
A Canadian Press analysis of 563 Taser incidents involving the RCMP found 79 per cent of the suspects were unarmed at the time.
Day said that's because of the approximately three million people stopped by RCMP each year, the vast majority don't have a weapon.
The high-powered stun guns are making headlines around the world following the death of Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski, who died after being shocked twice by RCMP officers at Vancouver airport last month.
A videotaped recording of Dziekanski's clash with police was publicly released last week.
The British Columbia government announced Monday that it will launch a full public inquiry into Dziekanski's death and the policy governing the use of Taser stun guns by police in B.C.
Day said Tasers are a necessary tool to help defuse a situation where somebody is at risk of hurting others.
He shied away from calls for a full national review of Tasers, saying there are already a number of ongoing investigations and reviews into their use.
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