More power to police arsenal

Waikato police officers will be equipped with Tasers by the end of this month, but police will not be carrying them as a matter of routine.

The Waikato policing district has been allocated 45 of the 681 Taser stun guns available to 3500 front-line police throughout the country by August.

Just over 70 Tasers would also be issued in the Bay of Plenty police district.

Waikato police spokesman Andrew McAlley said Waikato staff were going through the final stages of their training and the stun guns would be available in two weeks' time.

Tasers, which fire a barb delivering a 50,000 volt electric shock to stun offenders, would be treated and stored as firearms and only be made available to those fully trained to use them and in special circumstances.

"They also have to be cleared for use unless it's an extreme situation," he said.

In rural stations Tasers would be stored in a locked safe. In Hamilton some would be available in secure patrol cars.

Tasers were seen as "another tactical option" for officers who also had the choice of using pepper spray, a baton or firearm.

The stun guns could be used in situations where previously police may have used firearms, Mr McAlley said.

A Taser had been deployed once in the Waikato. A man surrendered to police after a stand-off in Hamilton in July last year. A Taser was presented, but not fired in that incident.

Police Commissioner Howard Broad said Tasers had been used in Auckland, Waitemata, Counties Manukau and Wellington police districts for just over a year and 10 people had been Tasered.

"It's pretty clear that in several instances, the person could have been shot with a firearm if Tasers hadn't been available," Mr Broad said on the police website.

- © Fairfax NZ News