Amnesty International has expressed alarm at reports that the use of tasers by police forces in England and Wales has increased by an average of 130 per cent this year.

Figures obtained by Channel 4 News from 40 of the 43 forces show that two-thirds had reported the weapon being used “significantly more” last year compared to the year before.

They found that these 40 forces collectively fired tasers 1,533 times last year, compared with 862 times in 2009 — an increase of 70 per cent.

Across the 40 forces, average usage increased by 130 per cent.

Greater Manchester Police officers fired tasers 152 times, almost three times more often in 2010/11 than in 2009/10.

Scotland Yard Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe called last week for police response officers to be routinely armed with tasers following an incident in which four police officers were stabbed in a butcher’s shop in north-west London.

However serious concerns have been raised about excessive use of the weapons by police.

In August two men, Dale Burns and Philip Hulmes, died after being shocked with tasers by police in separate incidents.

Mr Burns died after being tasered several times at his flat in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, as officers tried to arrest him on suspicion of causing criminal damage.

Mr Hulmes died when he was tasered after barricading himself in his house in Bolton, Greater Manchester.

Both deaths are being investigated by the the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).

A spokesman for Amnesty said: “The figures uncovered by Channel 4 News are alarming. There’s a clear disparity between forces’ use of tasers and that points to the need for greater clarity when these potentially lethal weapons should be used.

“Amnesty calls on the Home Office to thoroughly review these guidelines and put in place some strict standards.”

Association of Chief Police Officers lead on tasers, Assistant Chief Constable Simon Chesterman, said: “Police officers can only use as much force as is reasonable in the circumstances and officers deploying taser must justify its use.”

He added that in recent years more officers had been trained in the use of the weapons as, “in the majority of cases where it is deployed, the incident is resolved without the device being discharged.”

Source: http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/news/content/view/full/112657

Source: