Stun-gun's flaw kept secret

By PATRICK GOWER

The Taser stun-gun being considered for frontline policing has a serious flaw that police chiefs have been keeping secret.

The Taser M26 fires a five-second, 50,000-volt electric shock and is one of five "less-lethal" weapons the police are looking at introducing next year.

The Herald learned of the pistol-like device's weakness when police deleted a reference to it in documents that the newspaper obtained under the Official Information Act.

The deletion was upheld on appeal by the Ombudsman, who said: "The police are concerned that the information would enable persons to take steps to diminish the effectiveness of the device if it were ultimately to be deployed."

Inspector Lindsay Duncan, who is heading the project to test the weapons, said the weakness was not generally known and the police were pleased that the public would not learn of it.

"If we decide on the Taser [the police] are going to spend thousands, if not millions, introducing it. If [offenders] know this weakness it is just going to defeat the purpose of bringing it in."

Mr Duncan said police would be testing the shortlisted weapons this month and a decision was likely by the end of the year.

The chosen weapon could be in use next year, subject to Government approval.

The other weapons shortlisted include the pepper spray now used, "12-gauge bean bag rounds" that incapacitate offenders without killing them, "pepper balls" and high pressure water hoses.

Mr Duncan would not say if the weapons would be tested on police officers.

The police documents say that Tasers "sound very good" but the device is also described as being difficult to aim and fire properly.

Other problems listed include the limited shelf life of the batteries, a time delay to down-load the charge before firing, cost, and the fact that, although most New Zealand police are not armed, the Taser looks like a pistol.

The police discovered the shortcoming of the Taser during their discussions with international law enforcement agencies.

Police in Western Australia, Canada and the US use Tasers and special forces in France and Germany also have access to them.

It is understood the Ombudsman searched the internet and was unable to find any reference to the weapon's shortcoming before he decided to uphold the information restriction.

Tasers are understood to cost around $500. They are known to be highly regarded by Assistant Commissioner Ray Shuey, who overhauled the Victorian police's firearms practices and was in New Zealand this year reviewing police "safety and tactical options".

The review of less-lethal weapons, called Project Lincoln, has been running since June and has been budgeted to cost $47,000.

Concerns about the Taser have been raised in the US after claims that the device has made offenders panic.

It is meant to leave nothing more than a minor burn.