Front line police have been given easier access to Taser stun guns.
New police commissioner Peter Marshall said officers were told last week they no longer had to seek approval to strap on a Taser if they thought they were heading into danger.
"Properly trained and qualified staff can now access a Taser without first seeking approval if they are in a situation in which they feel they need to carry one in the interests of safety," Mr Marshall said on the police website.
He said until now front line police had to seek approval from supervisors or the police communications centres in Auckland, Wellington or Christchurch.
That created what seemed to be an avoidable delay, Mr Marshall said.
He said Tasers were a non-lethal alternative to firearms where someone was putting themselves or others in danger, but Mr Marshall said there were strict rules governing their use.
"Staff concerned must be trained and qualified to carry one.
"I have always stressed that a police officer's primary weapon is negotiating skill. Tasers only become an option when it is clear a serious situation cannot be resolved safely by talking."
The battery-powered stung guns, which were introduced in January last year, fire electric barbs which penetrate a person's skin and deliver a 50,000-volt, incapacitating shock.
Earlier this year police revealed the guns would be fitted with longer prongs to penetrate thicker clothing after a high failure rate.
