Taser is an Essential Tool Says Piantedosi Amid Row

Rome: The taser is an essential tool for police, Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said after a row erupted following the deaths of two men who were tasered in Italy in the last 48 hours, with a similar incident occurring in June. The police involved have been placed under investigation on suspicion of manslaughter, a standard procedure in such cases.

According to Ansa News Agency, “Those who ideologically criticize the use of the Taser must keep in mind that it is an essential tool, provided to officers precisely to prevent the use of firearms,” said Piantedosi. He emphasized that the rules of engagement stipulate its use only when confronted with violent and aggressive individuals posing a concrete danger. “Citizen safety is the primary objective that must be pursued,” he added, noting that initial reports indicate the Carabinieri faced such situations in Olbia and Genoa.

Another person died late Sunday after being tasered by the Carabinieri, marking the third recent incident in Italy. The 47-year-old man of Albanian origin died in Sant’Olcese, above Genoa. Investigators suggest the taser may have caused cardiac arrest, prompting Prosecutor Paola Calleri to open a manslaughter case. Police reported having to taser the man three times after neighbors complained of loud noises and shouts. He was reportedly intoxicated.

The second recent victim, a 57-year-old Sardinian man named Gianpaolo Demartis, died after being tasered outside an Olbia music festival. Demartis had attacked several people at the Red Valley Festival and struggled with police before being tasered and suffering cardiac arrest. He had a record for drug-related offenses.

Sardinia’s ombudswoman for detained persons, Irene Testa, criticized the incidents, questioning whether the use of such devices could continue. In June, another man died in Pescara from cardiac arrest after being tasered, although an autopsy found the taser did not cause his death, attributing it instead to internal bleeding from a closed chest trauma.

Interior Undersecretary Nicola Molteni, from the rightwing League party, defended the use of tasers, stating that there are about 5,000 in Italy and they serve as an effective deterrent and security tool.