Electric shock weapons such as tasers should become part of the equipment used by police officers on emergency service duty, police officials have recommended to the justice ministry.

If approved by the minister, this would mean electric stun guns would be made available to all police teams which are called out on emergencies. It will take five years before the introduction because 17,000 officers need to undergo special training to use the weapons, police said on Thursday.

In June, a report on a year long trial by the police academy found that tasers do have ‘added value’ for the police. Since the start of the trail in February 2017, tasers have been drawn 343 times and in 62% of cases, the threat of use was enough to calm the situation down, the report states.

In February Amnesty International called for trial to be abandoned after it emerged that the devices had actually been used on suspects more than 100 times.

Tasers work by firing electric charges of around 50,000 volts at a suspect from a distance, temporarily disabling them. Police say the danger of serious or permanent injury is minimal, but experts disagree on the risk to the heart.