Electroshock weapons used more often than ever

Electroshock weapons were deployed or threatened 30 times by Icelandic police in the first quarter of 2024, with five actual uses, according to a new report from the National Police Commissioner. This represents the highest quarterly figure since the weapons were introduced as a use-of-force tool in September 2024.

The quarterly report details the overall use of these weapons by law enforcement. In the third quarter of the previous year, the weapon was used four times during arrests, the second-highest number of deployments. The report indicates that the number of calls for the special forces and serious violent crimes between January and March of this year were similar to the same period last year.

However, the report cautions that it is too early to definitively conclude whether the instances of electroshock weapon use are on the rise, citing the small sample size of cases. For comparison, the weapon was not used at all in the fourth quarter of last year, following four uses in the preceding quarter.

The National Police Commissioner will continue to publish quarterly statistics on the use of electroshock weapons to monitor their deployment and application.