Canterbury is the latest police region to be issued with
Tasers as part of a nationwide rollout of the stun guns.
The region has been allocated 76 of the stun guns for use by
356 "first response" staff who will undergo training in their
use over the next three months.
Last year police reintroduced the stun guns in the Auckland
and Wellington police districts.
Officers threatened to use them 132 times, but only actually
discharged them 10 times during the year.
The remaining incidents were defused without the need to
activate the stun guns, according to police.
They said the introduction of Tasers had probably saved
several lives as some of the incidents where they were used
were violent.
Bookmark/Search this post with:
A name, residential address, and (preferably residential) telephone number is required from readers who comment on ODT Online. These details will not be visible to site visitors.