When were Tasers first introduced to police in the UK?
They were introduced in England and Wales in 2003, when a 12-month trial saw specialist firearms officers in five police forces carrying them. The officers were only allowed to use them in circumstances where they were authorised to draw weapons. During the trial the weapons were fired 13 times. In 2008 Tasers were rolled out across England and Wales, and were no longer limited to specialist firearms officers. Some forces were criticised for allowing officers to use Tasers after just two days’ training. There are currently two pistol-shaped Tasers approved for use by the Home Office – the X26 and M26 models. Q: How often have Tasers been used since then? Home Office figures show that between 22 April 2004 and 30 September 2009, Tasers were used 6,296 times in England and Wales. The Metropolitan Police, which covers the Greater London area, used Tasers more than any other force – 1,006 times. But not far behind them was Northumbria with 884 incidents. Officers were originally only allow
