Finnish police stun gun use rises sharply as deadly cases draw scrutiny

Finnish police use of stun guns has increased substantially, while several cases involving the devices have attracted attention in recent years, Yle reports. The latest case took place in Espoo, where a person died after police used a stun gun.

Stun gun use rarely results in death, but the devices have been used in a number of serious incidents.

Last July, police in Helsinki’s Alppiharju district shot a man after a stun gun failed to stop him while he threatened officers with a knife.

In February last year, police used a stun gun on a 15-year-old student at a school in Akaa. The student had threatened a member of the school staff with a bladed weapon.

Another case reported last year involved a man from Raahe who had been stunned by police. Prosecutors said he had intended to use violence against police officers.

Several years ago, police in Helsinki tried to subdue a man who was threatening them with a firearm. The stun gun did not discharge. Officers were unable to take the weapon from him, and one of them eventually shot the man, who died.

In 2019, two people died in Oulu in connection with police operations. The incidents occurred close to one another in time, and a stun gun had been used on at least one of the people who died.

In 2012, police used a stun gun eight times on a person who was causing a disturbance in a police detention cell. The person died, but the effect of the electric shocks on the death remained unclear.

Latest case took place in Espoo

The latest incident occurred during a police assignment in Espoo on the night of Friday, August 14.

Police said an adult behaved aggressively and violently towards people at the scene. According to information obtained by Yle, the person was a man with an intellectual disability who was about 50 years old. He was injured and later died in hospital.

Use has increased significantly

Finnish police have used stun guns for more than 20 years. Police statistics show that their use has increased considerably. In 2010, police used a stun gun nearly 170 times. In recent years, the figure has been about 450 uses per year.

Amnesty published a report last year accusing authorities of using stun guns unnecessarily and in a discriminatory manner.

Police rejected the criticism, saying that stun guns are used when no other means are available.