POLICE ARE more likely to deploy the use of a Taser against black people for longer than in comparison to white people, a watchdog has found.

The study by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has raised concerns on police conduct following a review of 101 cases where stun guns were used from 2015-20.

The review investigated cases of the utmost seriousness and represents more than 94,000 deployments during that period.

With black people making up only 4% of the UK population, they were found to still make up around 60% people of being subject to continuous discharges of a Taser for more than five seconds, compared with 29% white people. It revealed that the longest length of continuous use was 67 seconds.

In some cases, the watchdog assessed that mental health was found to be a key factor . The IOPC said: “In the majority of cases involving either allegations of discrimination or common stereotypes and assumptions, there was evidence that the individual concerned had mental health concerns or a learning disability. This supports findings by others that the intersectionality of race and mental health can increase the risk of higher levels of use of force.”

The IOPC found that in almost a third of cases, the opportunity to de-escalate situations had been missed. Meanwhile, in a quarter of cases despite official guidance for police officers, the use of stun guns were determined to have been deployed for compliance.

Out of the 101 cases investigated, around 26 unearthed that an officer should face a disciplinary case or be considered for criminal prosecution.

The IOPC director general, Michael Lockwood, has called for reform to be introduced.

“Tasers are available to more officers than ever before. Our engagement with communities has highlighted a stark difference between their expectations about when a Taser should be used, and the situations in which Taser can be used under current national guidance, particularly on those who are vulnerable,” he said.

“Ultimately, policing has to change and be more responsive to community concern or risk losing legitimacy in the eyes of the public. In particular, people from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds deserve a clear and transparent answer from police on why such disproportionality still exists – failure to address this risks undermining the legitimacy of policing.”