Kiwi frontline police officers to be armed with Tasers on duty

New Zealand's police officers, one of the few Western police forces that doesn't routinely carry guns, are to be issued with Tasers while on duty, the top police commander said on Friday.

Police Commissioner Mike Bush said frontline police would move to routine carriage of Tasers to improve their safety.

Tasers were rolled out nationally in March 2010, but are kept in a lockbox in frontline police vehicles if required.

The decision meant the Taser could be carried at all times while on duty by trained frontline officers whose role, responsibilities and likelihood of risk supported having easier access to Taser, Bush said in a statement.

About 5,500 staff were appropriately trained to use the weapon, he said.

"In making the decision, the police executive has considered almost five years worth of 'use of force' data, which includes analysis of injury rates, numbers of Taser deployments and the ratio of Taser 'shows' to actual discharges," said Bush.

It consistently showed that the Taser was one of the least injury-causing tactical options available when compared with other options, with a subject injury rate of just over 1 percent for all deployments, he said.

Research showed that for every nine times a Taser was presented, it was only charged once.

"With Taser immediately accessible, this provides added confidence for our staff and communities that if a situation does escalate into violence that our officers have the appropriate tools to manage the situation," said Bush.

An implementation plan was being developed and the weapons would be issued later this year. Endi