Welsh police forces can bid for taser cash

A multi-million pound Government fund has been made available to supply police forces with Taser stun guns.

Police forces in Wales can start bidding on a new online platform launched by the Home Office from Monday for a share in the £10 million ring-fenced fund.

The announcement was included in the Conservative manifesto alongside a pledge to fund an extra 20,000 police officers over the next three years.

Police and Crime Commissioners will need to outline how many additional officers they plan to train to use Taser when bidding.

The Government will consider their requests based on the threat and risk in their local area.

A national debate over whether every officer should carry a Taser was ignited after a series of serious attacks on police in August last year.

They included the death of Pc Andrew Harper, who was dragged under a vehicle when he was called to a burglary.

However campaign groups, including Amnesty International and Inquest, have warned against the use of Taser as they have caused deaths and injuries.