The Green Party has confirmed it has dropped a draft motion to remove Tasers and pepper spray from police officers.
A proposal was due to be presented at the party’s conference to “withdraw lethal tools and tactics, eg Tasers, pepper spray” from police.
Under the party’s constitution, any member can propose a policy and present it to be debated at the annual conference.
However, the proposal to remove Tasers and batons has since been withdrawn from the final version of the motion, which was drawn up by the Greens’ crime and justice working group.
The final motion, which will be presented to members and party officials at the annual Green conference in Brighton, includes proposals to scrap Prevent, the government’s counterterrorism programme.
It also calls for the end of police presence in schools and to move money away from police and prisons.
According to the document, seen by The Times, it would make it official party policy to aim for the “closure of all prisons through systemic obsolescence”.
It will be put through the party’s formal policy process before its conference in October.
The Green Party is due to debate the motion at October’s conference
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The Green Party’s policy came under fire from former chief constable of Greater Manchester Police Sir Peter Fahy.
He told Times Radio: “I feel it’s almost a bit inappropriate on a weekend when we’re thinking about two police officers who died on duty.
“Clearly, we don’t know the circumstances of whether it was a result of direct criminal action. But this is really a strange policy idea.
“This policy just seems utterly naive in terms of what the police are facing, the very high level of police assaults, the very low level of police morale at the moment, where they don’t feel often that the wider public and sometimes the media and the political establishment understands what they do and gives them the right level of support.”
The section of the policy calling for Tasers to be ditched has itself been ditched (file pic)
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The document also is pushing to repeal laws on drugs, sex work, migration and vagrancy, as well as raising the age of criminal responsibility to 14.
It also calls for the scrapping of policy programmes that target specific communities and “over-police marginalised communities”, citing Prevent as an example of those it would scrap.
A party spokesman said: “Conference is still months away and members have only just begun submitting motions. There is a prioritisation process and not every motion submitted will be debated. Only motions passed by conference become Green Party policy.”
Mr Polanski added: “In the Green Party, any member can propose a policy. It’s in our constitution, and members decide whether to debate it.”
Chris Philp has hit out at the Green Party’s now ditched plans
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The news of the policy was met with condemnation from both Labour and the Conservatives.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: “This latest madness from the Greens will leave our brave police officers unable to protect themselves and the public.
“The Greens care more about appeasing the anti-police far-left mob than supporting the police and catching criminals. It’s clear they are on the side of lawbreakers, not the law-abiding majority.
“The Green Party have shown themselves to be a disgrace and a danger to the public. They are certainly no longer the harmless badger and whale-loving party they were in the past.”
The Green Party will hold their annual conference in Brighton this October
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A Labour Party spokesman added: “Labour’s first priority will always be keeping the public safe.
“These proposals are out of touch with the realities of modern policing and the vital work our police do every day.
“These plans would make it harder for the police to stop dangerous criminals and to protect the public from potential future terrorist attacks.”