Taser deployment at point-blank range forbidden The use of Tasers by police in England and Wales has more than doubled from around 3,500 in 2009 to more than 7,000 per year in 2010 and 2011, new figures from the Office of National Statistics will reveal this week. More than 10,000 tasers have been introduced to police forces across the country, with around 10 per cent of officers now equipped with the stun-guns. They are seen as an easy, non-lethal way of ending violent confrontations and to stop people posing a threat to the public. Although drive-stunning accounts for only five per cent of all Taser use, it attracts a much higher proportion of complaints. Human rights groups have described use of the device in this mode as "pain compliance." Mr Chesterman said Taser deployment figures relate to the number of times the device is drawn or aimed. In only a quarter of cases is the gun actually fired, he said. "We're not getting more trigger happy, we've got more Tasers out there," he said. If you are a Taser officer, you are likely to draw a Taser less than once a year.