Met officers to be given 'stun guns'

Britain's biggest police force is to issue its officers with US-style "stun guns" capable of paralysing offenders with a 50,000-volt electric shock from up to 15ft away.

The hand-held weapons are to be introduced in the Metropolitan Police as a non-lethal alternative to firearms because of a rise in the number of incidents in which officers have been confronted by people wielding swords and knives.

The "Taser" pistol fires two darts that trail electric cables back to a charge pack. When the barbed darts, which can pierce a thick leather jacket, hit their target, a short electric burst pulses along the cable, causing the victim to fall to the ground and for their muscles to contract violently.

The American manufacturer claims that the charge takes a second to work, "instantly disrupts the central nervous system", and has "more stopping power" than a .357 Magnum handgun. Specialist firearms officers who man the 30 armed response vehicles used by the Metropolitan Police are to be trained and equipped with the Taser guns, which cost £300 each, under plans being drawn up by Scotland Yard.

Assistant Commissioner Michael Todd, who is in charge of the stun-gun project, hopes to have officers trained and equipped by the end of the year. Assistant Commissioner David Veness, who has overall control of specialist operations, including the firearms units, is examining the possible side-effects and effectiveness of the Taser guns.

The makers of the Taser, which uses an air cartridge to propel the darts, boast that it is an "extremely powerful weapon that drops assailants to the ground from a safe distance of 15 feet away".