Hi °C | Lo °C The PSNI has been urged to limit the use of Taser guns after disturbing new figures emerged showing Taser-linked deaths.
Amnesty International said 334 people have died in the US since 2001 after being shot by the weapons, which deliver a 50,000-volt shock.
The campaign group said the weapons were “open to abuse” and they should only be used when the lives of police or members of the public were at risk.
In Northern Ireland, 12 guns have been given to specialist police teams as part of a pilot scheme launched in January. Since then the weapon has been used twice.
Last month, the Policing Board formally endorsed the chief constable's decision to deploy the weapon and he will decide if Tasers should be used on a permanent basis after an equality assessment is completed.
The Northern Ireland branch of Amnesty International has called for guarantees that the Taser will not be deployed any wider than a small number of specialist firearms officers.
Northern Ireland programme director Patrick Corrigan said Tasers are not as safe as the industry would suggest.
He added: “As our findings from the US reveal, Tasers are potentially lethal and are inherently open to abuse. They can inflict severe pain at the push of a button, without leaving substantial marks.”
A PSNI spokeswoman said a full equality impact assessment was carried out in tandem with the Taser pilot scheme.
Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde recently told the Policing Board that when Tasers were discharged in Northern Ireland, England and Wales their use brought a serious incident to a safe conclusion with no death or serious injury to the police officers involved or members of the public.
The new Amnesty International report found 90% of those who died in the US after being stunned were unarmed and many were shocked repeatedly.
The issue of Tasers has proved controversial in Northern Ireland.
A legal challenge on the deployment of the guns in the province is due to take place in January.
Demands were recently made for all front-line PSNI officers to be armed with Taser stun guns to tackle violent crime after Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said she wants front-line response officers in all 43 police forces in England and Wales to be trained to fire Tasers at violent suspects.
Northern Ireland Policing Board member Jimmy Spratt said use of the guns is “progressive policing” and warned that Northern Ireland should not be left behind the rest of the UK.
