Victorian police roll out Tasers

Police in two Victorian country towns will be issued controversial Taser stun guns this weekend as part of a 12-month trial.

General duties and traffic police working in pairs in Bendigo and Morwell will be equipped with Tasers from Sunday.

Over the past month, nearly 150 officers have been trained to use Tasers.

Tasers fire two barbs with electric wires attached that deliver a charge of up to 50,000 volts and incapacitate a targeted person for a brief period.

In Bendigo and Morwell, one officer will carry a Taser so their partner can still use a gun as a last resort should the Taser be ineffective.

Victoria Police Commissioner Simon Overland backflipped on Tasers when he first announced the pilot program in February this year.

Mr Overland said in May last year he did not support giving Tasers to individual police officers. Amnesty International says Tasers have been linked to cardiac arrests and deaths, but Taser International, manufacturers of the stun guns, has denied such links.

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