Taser death in Canada sparks heated debate around the world

Officials there said Tasers had been used in 93 incidents since the trial period began in July, and their use "was to resolve dangerous situations without injury."

In New Zealand, where a one-year trial of one model of the weapon has just ended, the Green Party urged the New Zealand Superannuation Fund to withdraw the $NZ780,000 (about $594,000) invested in the American firm, Taser International, Radio New Zealand reported.

Taser International officals dismissed the UN comments, suggesting that the committee was " 'out of touch' with the realities facing law enforcement agents," reports Australian news channel ABC.

Taser has cited research that shows that the electric-shock weapons are safe. Amnesty International, however, recently called for a suspension of Taser use pending further study, and a commitment to greater training of law-enforcement officers.

The organization's report cites increases in Taser-related deaths, and says that Tasers continue to be used in the US as a routine force tool rather than as weapon of last resort.

According to Amnesty, more than 150 people have died in the US after being struck by Tasers since June 2001. In 23 cases, coroners listed the use of the Taser as a cause or contributing factor.

More than 11,000 agencies in the US deploy TASER brand technology. Some 3,500 of these agencies give Tasers to all their patrol officers, according to the company.

In France, President Nicolas Sarkozy vowed before his election in May to buy a Taser for every policeman and gendarme in France, a market for at least 300,000 guns, reports Agence France-Presse.

There are already about 250,000 of the stun guns in use, mainly in North America, but about 70 other countries are buying or trying Tasers -- including Australia, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Australia, Singapore and New Zealand, said [Taser representative Antoine] di Zazzo.

In Britain, where beat cops don't have guns, home secretary Jacqui Smith has said that all police should have Tasers, and the weapons were "more effective for subduing suspects and caused less harm than traditional batons," reports The Telegraph.

Mrs Smith told Police Review magazine that she "could see a day" when all officers were armed with stun guns. "If police officers could be prevented from injury because they are able to subdue someone more quickly than with other methods, then it would be viable," she said.

The Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers in England and Wales, has called for all officers to be equipped with stun guns.

Use of Tasers in Britain has risen since 2003, according to a report in the online magazine of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

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