PSNI uses Taser during Derry city arrest

Police in Northern Ireland have used a Taser gun for the first time, it was revealed today.

The non-fatal weapon was deployed to subdue a man during a domestic incident in Derry early last Saturday morning.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said the man had barricaded himself into a house with his two children in the Galliagh estate at the weekend.

The man (37) was later arrested under the Mental Health Act. The children were unharmed and returned to a family member, a PSNI spokeswoman said.

In a statement, the PSNI said the controversial device was used "as an appropriate and tactical option to bring the matter to a safe conclusion".

The Northern Ireland Policing Board said it has requested a report on the incident from Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde.

Policing Board chairman Sir Desmond Rea said the report would be discussed by the Human Rights and Professional Standards Committee next week. He said the Policing Board will hold a debate on the use of Tasers early next month. 

A Taser delivers a massive electric shock through two small dart-like electrodes that are shot at the target.

The PSNI decided to include them in its arsenal of non-lethal weapons last January. Twelve of the weapons were issued to members of  PSNI's Specialist Operations Branch for a six-month pilot scheme after they went through a special two-day training course.

Amnesty International has campaigned against the use of the devices, claiming they can cause fatalities or serious injury.

"Research has shown that these electro-shock weapons pose a disproportionate risk to many of our vulnerable citizens, including those with mental health or drug problems," Amnesty's Northern Ireland spokesman Patrick Corrigan said.

"People are at serious risk of injury, or in some cases death, if the Taser is used without adequate safeguards."

Amnesty said nearly 300 people have died as a result of being shot with a Taser in the US and Canada since 2001.

Gardaí have used Tasers during a number of arrests in recent months.