“Taser use in England rose by 45% in 2011 and the numbers are expected to continue to increase as more weapons are given to rank-and-file officers. The stun guns were fired by police at 27-year-old Dale Burns in Barrow, Cumbria, last year, who later died. In the US, where they are more regularly used, there have been hundreds of deaths. Before 2008, the use of Tasers was restricted to firearms officers, but their use has increased in recent years as more frontline officers have access to them.”
