By IRNA,
London : The British government Tuesday was urged to limit the police use of controversial Taser stun guns in the light of a new report that says nearly 350 people have died in the US in the last seven years after being stunned by one.
“The Taser is clearly a dangerous weapon and should only be used in very limited circumstances where strictly necessary to protect life or avoid very serious injuries,” said Amnesty International director, Oliver Sprague.
“It must be kept in the hands of a small number of highly trained specialist officers,” said Sprague, who is director of the UK’s arm programme.
Last month, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith announced that funding was being made available to supply up to 10,000 new Tasers, which emit an electrical discharge, to the police in general after a successful trial limited to arms officers in 10 forces.
A new report, published Tuesday by Amnesty, found that 350 people had been killed with stun guns in the US and that 90 per cent were unarmed.
Sprague said the findings should that Tasers are not as safe as the industry claims, and their use should be limited to life-threatening situations.
“As our findings from the US reveal, Tasers are potentially lethal and are inherently open to abuse. They can inflict severe pain at the push of a button, without leaving substantial marks,” he said.
Responding to the report, the Home Office in London insisted that the Taser would be used only by officers “facing serious threats of violence.”
“We are proud that we have one of the few police services around the world that do not regularly carry firearms, and are keen to keep it that way,” a Home Office spokesman said.