CHIEF Constables want to end a ban on officers carrying Tasers if they have less than two years’ service in order to tackle rising levels of violent crime and terrorism.

Proposals for selected “probationers” to carry the non-lethal firearms have been put forward by The National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC).

They would first have to complete a rigorous application and training process. Senior officers, who believe the option should be based on local assessments of threat and risk, are discussing the move with the Home Office.

The NPCC represents national police heads, including for Wiltshire, whose former chief constable Mike Veale was present at the council’s London meeting in October.

Mr Veale announced last May that the force would train more officers to use the stun guns – of which it possesses 160 – amid a rise in violent crime in the county.

Probationers would choose whether they wanted to apply to be trained with the Taser, while the number of officers in a force trained and equipped with the weapons would be a decision for individual chief constables.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Lucy D'Orsi, NPCC lead for less lethal weapons, said: “Probationers are posted to the frontline and they respond to the same calls as other colleagues. These calls range from dealing with vulnerable people in need of help to incidents of violence. We want to ensure that they have the right equipment to keep themselves, suspects and members of the public safe. As part of this, we want to give forces the opportunity to train their probationary officers to carry Taser.

“At present, an officer’s suitability to carry Taser is determined by the amount of time someone has been an officer rather than the role they carry out or the skills they have. The diversity of our workforce has changed considerably and many of our probationers have professional and life skills from before they started their police career that demonstrates their capability and ability to carry Taser. Taser remains an emotive subject but, when compared with other use of force options such as the police baton, it is safer not only for police officers but also for the communities we work hard to protect. Police use of Taser is regulated by strict monitoring standards and is conditional on the completion of a robust training programme.

“We will continue to work with academics, medical experts and community groups on the issue of Taser, and I would like to thank them all for their work with us to date.”

The final say will be with the Home Office.