WE are in danger of sleepwalking into a dangerous situation over the use of Tasers.

The Hampshire Police Federation has been campaigning for these electronic weapons to be issued to all officers.

The federation’s desire to protect its members is entirely understandable and they obviously deserve to be protected as much as is reasonable.

But does the threat to officers justify the widespread rollout of these stun guns? No. Tasers are potentially lethal weapons and an unacceptable number of people have died after being subjected to them. They deliver a 50,000-volt shock to immobilise a person.

Issue them to all frontline officers and more people will die. Issue them to as many officers who want to carry them and you normalise their use. At the moment only highly trained, dare one say it, elite personnel carry firearms and there is a high standard too for the issuing of Tasers.

Tasers are a weapon of last resort but there have been too many instances where they have been wrongly used and where the consequences have been fatal.

Public confidence in the police is vital and it would be undermined with the increase in deaths that would occur. Too many people take it for granted but traditional policing, where most officers are unarmed, is a vital part of policing by consent.