Stun Guns To Be Given To 10 Police Forces As Part Of Study

Ten police forces across the country who are not trained firearm specialists will be given 50,000-volt Tasers to use as part of a study.

The one year study that the police forces including those located in Gwent and North Wales will participate in has been welcomed by the Police Federation who considers Tasers to be a necessary piece of equipment for frontline officers.

In the past the Tasers have only been issued to members of police firearms units but the trial will allow officers from other units to carry them for use when faced with serious violence.

Even though Tasers deliver a powerful electric shock they are intended to be a non-lethal alternative to regular police weapons.

The decision has been opposed by Amnesty International who claims that the guns can be lethal.

Ifti Manzoor, an associate at Irwin Mitchell commented: "There will of course be considerable concern about the deployment of Taser guns - the situation is similar when CS Spray was first introduced. The primary concern will be the apparent indiscriminate use and not following proper guidance.

"The public have not really been informed in any depth about the effects of its use and whether its use can be lethal."