Bottom line on taser zone

Offenders who wear their pants hanging low could now be risking more than a chill to their nether regions.

Police using tasers in Counties Manukau will now be aiming "either side of the belt buckle" under new guidelines.

Assistant commissioner Viv Rickard says the manufacturer is advising they "deploy the taser lower on the body" as a safety precaution.

Last week police were advised to lower "the preferred target zone by a few centimetres", Mr Rickard says.

"This will incapacitate the offender and reduce the already low risk of cardiac arrest."

Training has been updated to reflect that advice, Mr Rickard says.

The taser was reintroduced to Counties Manukau and three other police districts last December. By the start of September, police had deployed it 78 times but only fired it six times. The six tasered individuals got immediate medical help and recovered without any adverse health effects, he says.

- © Fairfax NZ News