Greens oppose Taser use

The Greens are upset that some frontline police will be armed with Taser stun-guns from September.

The party yesterday called on the police to cancel a 12-month trial involving 90 staff in Auckland and Wellington because, it says, they have not carried out independent research into the safety risks.

MP Keith Locke said the Taser had been linked to more than 150 deaths overseas.

"The trial context therefore puts pressure on the police to use these dangerous weapons to gather data for analysis." Mr Locke was concerned the Taser would not be restricted to specialist police squads.

Assistant Commissioner Peter Marshall said the decision to test the Taser had been made after extensive research into its use in Britain, the United States, Canada and Australia.

It was effective when dealing with unarmed or lightly armed but highly aggressive people and those in various states of mental health crisis or under the influence of drugs or alcohol.