Taser guns, designed to incapacitate people without injuring them by sending electric shockwaves through their bodies, will soon offer Maltese policemen a safer way of taking control over violent situations.

All officers will be trained to use the weapons but, unlike pepper spray and batons, which are carried by all policemen, the Tasers will only be used by officers stationed in particularly dangerous environments.

The Tasers use compressed air to shoot out two small pins that puncture a suspect's body. The pins, attached to thin wires, transmit an electric voltage that immobilises the person - attacking only the motor nerves, without affecting internal organs.

For five seconds, those being "tasered" lose complete control of their bodily movements and fall to the ground, enabling policemen to disarm them and make a safe arrest.

Tasers have been used by policemen around the world for a number of years. In America, officers must try the Tasers on each other during training sessions. In Malta, however, only two sergeants have gone through with this.

Frans Schembri, one of the eight instructors, described his Taser experience as severely unpleasant and is convinced that five seconds of being "tasered" is enough to stop even the most violent and agitated of suspects from resisting arrest.

"I've heard dangerous criminals saying they had been shot, stabbed and beaten up, but would do anything not to be 'tasered'," PS Schembri said.

He insists that the Tasers are 100 per cent safe and do not harm a person, even though the feeling is practically unbearable.

He says the Tasers can be used in almost all environments, even on planes and in the water. They can even be used on animals, children and old people, including those with a heart condition or a pacemaker. Even if the shock is administered repetitively or for a long time, PS Schembri is adamant that the subject will suffer no permanent damage and will return to normal within minutes.

The Tasers, however, should not be used where a fire hazard is dangerously close, such as a petrol station, a fireworks factory or exposed flammable fluid.

PS Schembri explained that police officers must issue a verbal warning before "tasering" a suspect and must only decide to use the Taser gun if the subject is resisting arrest violently in a way that cannot be controlled by other methods. The Tasers are intended to reduce the risk of bodily harm for policemen, suspects and passersby.

"As with all weapons, the force used must be proportional to the threat," Superintendent Mario Spiteri, in charge of training and human resources, said.

Besides being shot from a distance of up to 20 feet, the Tasers can be used without a cartridge by pressing the front part of the weapon on a suspect, like a cattle prod. When the cartridge containing the pins and wires is not loaded into the gun, the front part of the weapon generates an electrical spark that shocks a person in the same way.

Since the cartridge shoots out pins that puncture a person's skin, they can only be used once in order to prevent the spread of diseases. Therefore, using the Taser without the cartridge is important when trying to immobilise more than one person.

Another benefit of the Taser gun is that it includes a computer chip that records all the data of use, including the exact time that the Taser was administered and the duration of the shock. This information cannot be tampered with, so if a suspect alleges abuse, the data can verify his claims.

When asked why the Tasers were being introduced now, Supt Spiteri explained that this is part of a process of modernisation that began years ago with the introduction of other non-lethal weapons like pepper spray. He denied that Tasers were being introduced as an answer to the several recent accusations of excessive police violence.

Selling at about €350, Tasers are more expensive than most firearms. They are illegal to own and may only be carried by law enforcement officers.

PS Schembri believes that policemen all around the world are seeking the Taser guns because they are safer for all parties involved. Since Malta is considered a safe country, he does not expect the force to use Tasers much, especially because they cannot replace the normal methods of policing.

"I believe that if Tasers are used five times a year in Malta, they would have been used too much. And, if so, word will travel fast and suspects threatened with being 'tasered' will fall to the ground willingly to protect themselves from the weapon," he says, recalling his own unpleasant experience which saw him screaming like a baby and at the complete mercy of his colleagues.

Although the Taser guns are considered to be non-lethal weapons there have been cases of reported deaths related to their use.

"Nevertheless, as research on this matter is still inconclusive, the deaths reported were not necessarily a result of the Taser use," Supt Spiteri pointed out.

What do the critics say?

Although Taser International, the company that produces the weapons, is confident they are safe and reliable, many critics argue that not enough research has been done and that these weapons may easily be misused.

In November 2007, the UN Committee Against Torture said that the use of TaserX26 weapons (the same model being brought to Malta), causes extreme pain and can be a form of torture, adding that in certain cases it could also cause death.

According to Amnesty International, over 290 deaths related to Tasers were reported in North America - some heavily documented by the media - but in most cases it was difficult to identify what the exact cause of death was.

One of the most well-known cases happened when a 40-year-old Polish man died immediately after being shot with a Taser at Vancouver International Airport, Canada.

"If used by trained and licensed individuals instead of guns, and if the force is applied proportionately, such less-lethal alternatives are welcomed," said a spokesman of Amnesty International.

"But we are concerned with the potential health risks on vulnerable people like children and those with heart problems. We are also worried about misuse, seeing that this has become a problem in the US and Canada. Also, we think more research by independent parties is needed to verify their safety."

Another problem with less-lethal weapons like Tasers is that their perceived "safety" may lead to overuse and the replacement of less harsh forms of policing, including verbal arrests or restraining by hand.