Budget to allow for nationwide stun-gun roll out: Minister

The Government has met its commitment to speed up the rollout of Taser stun guns and next week's budget will deliver the money for them, Police Minister Judith Collins said today.

There would be about 720 Tasers available throughout the country for frontline police and about 3500 officers would be trained to use them, she said.

"The Government supports the use of Tasers as a vital tool to manage dangerous situations and reduce potential harm to the public and police officers," Ms Collins said.

"At a time when officers are increasingly confronted with volatile situations fuelled by methamphetamine it is the Government's responsibility to ensure police have the equipment to keep themselves and the public safe."

Ms Collins said the budget would provide $5.3 million to complete the deployment of Tasers throughout the country, with another $4.2 million spread across the following three years to meet ongoing costs.

An additional $521,000 would be provided for computer systems supporting the deployment.

Ms Collins said each Taser would be equipped with a camera and rigorous rules had been put in place to ensure they were not misused.

The budget funding, a total of about $10 million, would cover full implementation of the rollout including the cameras, training, holsters and carriers.

Prime Minister John Key said during the Napier siege the Taser rollout would be speeded up.

He was wary about the next step - allowing police to be armed all the time - and said it would create a psychological barrier between them and the public.

The Police Association has previously said it supports the provision of Tasers but not all the parties in Parliament agree.

Green Party MP Keith Locke opposes their use and so does the Maori Party.

The United Nations Committee Against Torture yesterday issued a report saying it was "deeply concerned" about New Zealand police adopting the Taser.

It said the severe pain they caused could be seen as a form of torture and could even kill someone.

Tasers disable people with a 50,000 volt jolt of electricity.

- NZPA