Police want stun guns

Most police officers think stun guns should be provided to every operational officer, a new poll has revealed.

The Police Review magazine surveyed 100 officers and found that 80 per cent were in favour of a complete roll out of Taser guns to frontline staff.

Taser guns fire needle-tipped darts that deliver a 50,000-volt electric shock to temporarily disable targets. Supporters of the weapon state they cause fewer deaths than conventional firearms and also have a “significant deterrent effect”.

At the moment 15 UK forces have the high-voltage weapons, but they can only be issued to trained firearms officers.