YESTERDAY, THE Voice told you the story of Michael Gilchrist, an autistic and learning disabled man, who has barely spoken for six years following an incident where he was CS sprayed and repeatedly tasered by the police.
Kerry Pimblott is a researcher at Resistance Lab. She has studied the data around taser use in the UK and she thinks cases like Michael’s are far too common.
She explained: “Taser is being used disproportionately against some of the most vulnerable groups within our society here in Greater Manchester.
“If you are a person of African descent, if you’re Black in Manchester, you are four times more likely to be subjected to taser usage than if you are white.
“The disproportionality that we see across all areas of police contact, we also see with tasers.”
In her research, Pimblott has come across incidents where police used tasers against people with serious mental health difficulties. She highlights that in some cases, police taser use can be deadly.
“Taser has only been used here in Britain since 2003, and since then we’ve seen that 18 people have died following its use,” she adds.
From 2018 to 2019, tasers were used against children 118 times. Though in some incidents the weapons were not discharged, this remains a cause for concern.
Professor Erinma Bell, who chairs Greater Manchester Police’s Independent Advisory Group (IAG) believes it’s high time someone from outside the police force evaluated taser use. That no one has done so yet, is a serious cause for concern.
She explains: “It says to us that we don’t matter. They can use their taser on us and no matter how many times we complain, the police will always clear themselves.
“The people that are complaining – don’t their voices matter?”
For Michael’s mother Novlyn, the impact of her son’s police encounter will be lifelong.
“On the day in question, all that Michael was guilty of, was having some kind of mental breakdown,” she says.
“Despite that, Officer Schofield treated Michael as some kind of lesser human being. My family and I believe Michael was discriminated against because he is Black.”
Up until very recently, there had been no acknowledgement that racism might have influenced the behaviour of Greater Manchester Police. The force has only very recently apologised and settled with the family. But they will never get back the six years they have lost.
Novlyn, Michael’s mother explains: “The absence of humanity in this whole situation, displayed by GMP is not just disgraceful, but to me it is sad and painful to see.”
Assistant Chief Constable Nick Bailey said, “It is a matter of sincere regret that Mr Gilchrist experienced a use of taser which, as Mrs Justice O’Farrell DBE found, was “unnecessary, unreasonable and inappropriate” and which “would have inflicted unnecessary pain”. The Chief Constable wrote to Mr Gilchrist and his mother to offer a sincere and unreserved apology which I would like to offer again today. We accepted these findings and in October this year both parties reached a financial settlement which was approved by a High Court Judge.
“We take matters like this very seriously and review all incidents where a taser is deployed in line with national guidance. We constantly strive to provide a safe and proportionate Policing service to our communities, including reviewing our use of force across all areas, and working with the Mayor’s Office on the review, as well as how we can publicise our data and progress in order to be even more transparent to the public.”
The Voice looked at how taser use has affected the most marginalised groups in a three part series.
Part Three: Michael Gilchrist and Greater Manchester Police: Taser, Race, My Family and Me
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