LEAD STORY: Tasers on way to Bay

13th March 2010

They are powerful, controversial and they will be part of the Hawke's Bay police arsenal by the end of this month.

They are Tasers - firearm alternatives that can deliver a 50,000-volt shock.

About 200 staff in the Eastern Police District are being trained in the use of the high-voltage stun guns, which will not be worn by police on the beat, but will be kept securely in patrol cars and effectively treated as firearms. They will be used only by officers who have undergone training.

Eastern District operations manager Inspector Mike O'Leary said the stun guns would soon be distributed to stations around Hawke's Bay.

Eastern District will have 46 Tasers available.

 The guns were another tactical option for police to use when dealing with lawbreakers.

"The Tasers are likely to be used in a situation involving a violent offender and where there is danger to them or the public," Mr O'Leary said. "It's another option for us that is less lethal than a firearm, but more effective than pepper spray or a baton."

He added they would also be drawn only on the authority of a supervisor.

"They give us an alternative to a firearm. Tasers will improve victim, offender and officer safety."

The stun guns fire a barb that delivers a shock to stun a lawbreaker.

Mr O'Leary said in the first year of their use in New Zealand they were presented at people 132 times, but fired only 10 times.

Police said the high deterrent value was usually enough.

"It seems that if an offender sees a Taser, he or she has a tendency to think about what could happen and give themselves up or stop what they are doing," Mr O'Leary said.

Tasers were introduced in Auckland City, Waitemata, Counties Manukau and Wellington in December 2008 following a nine-month trial and are now being rolled out across the rest of the country.

Mr O'Leary described the training programme as robust, and that each Taser had a camera attached that recorded sound and filmed its use. The information was kept and stored for evidential purposes as well as for training.

"It also ensures they are used appropriately," Mr O'Leary said.