A man armed with a knife took little persuading to give up his weapon when Rotorua police drew a taser stun gun yesterday, the first time the device had been used in the region.
The 40-year-old man threatened to harm himself with the knife, but immediately lay on the ground and surrendered to police when he saw the gun, Bay of Plenty district operations manager Inspector Scott Fraser said.
Police did not use the stun gun.
The man was in custody and was being assessed by mental health services.
"During the Taser trials, in most cases simply presenting a Taser at an offender has been enough to diffuse the situation and achieve a safe resolution. This has been proven again here today," Mr Fraser said.
- NZPA
Police draw taser in Rotorua
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