OK, I know it's a bit late. However, my many letters when these were first "mooted" failed to get a reasonable response, I participated in the "public noise making" at the time of the "trial" introduction. And we do have to realise that the decision to issue tasers (stun guns) to the NZ police was made without any public consultation, no submissions being made, just an arrogant decision by the a very strange fellow, Police Commissioner Howard Broad. He held a day long consultation with MPs, and no formal consultation was ever held before the very much fast-tracked decision to introduce the tasers (or these dangerous weapons of torture) was made.

The latest is that they were given to police in Marlborough this week.

Tasers have been used overseas for quite some time now and with the woolly thinking of NZ politicians "NZ doesn't want to miss out" (remember Helen Clark on carbon trading? That's her famous statement) on torturing it's citizens, and just everything else that has been a total disaster somewhere else NZ politicians seem to think it will be good here.

In many overseas countries they justify "tasering" people all the time by calling it "pain compliance" - now if "pain compliance" is not just another way of saying "we will torture you until you comply", then I don't know what is.

What do others think?

I stand by the decision to issue tasers to New Zealand Police, and have made contact by e-mail to the Minister of Police, Hon Judith Collins to express that. I made the comment that tazers should by issued to ALL officers as PPE, under the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992 it is the right of the employer to issue all employees with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and to take all practical measures to insure the saftey of there employees. The ministers comment in return was that Police are not under an "employer" but a commissioner, which makes it a diffrent story altogether. Alot of people don't think about the officers on the other end of the, and that it is there saftey that they (the tazers) are protecting. If the officer is in danger, I would say that by all means, USE IT. If the offender does not want to be tazered they shouldn't be doing anything that would cause them to be.

Tazers aren't torture, and if you listened a little the streets of South Auckland are so dangerous now guns wouldn't be out of order either.

Yes, your right "hipeter924", I think Brucey may be a Green supporter.