NORTHUMBRIA Police have become the first force in the region to volunteer officers to trial controversial electronic stun guns.

The force says it recognises the importance of providing armed officers with "as wide a range of weaponry as possible", including less lethal options.

A number of police officers are now expected to take part in handling trials of the weapon, starting next month.

The Home Office wrote to forces across the country, inviting volunteers for trials.

They will be conducted under controlled conditions, and will involve the shooting of dummy targets with the guns, known as Tasers.

They emit a high voltage electronic shock capable of temporarily paralysing offenders, causing them to drop any weapons they may be carrying.

Chief Superintendent Bob Patterson, head of operational support at Northumbria Police, said: "We volunteered officers to take part in controlled trials being held at police research establishments. The results will then be reported to the police authority."

He said that "less lethal options" such as Tasers were preferred in some incidents over real ammunition.

Other forces in the region are monitoring developments and could follow Northumbria's lead.

The Home Office's police scientific development branch says a 12-month testing programme of the device, which resembles an ordinary pistol, has begun. It will include extensive test firings to establish accuracy and effectiveness.

Some forces, such as the Metropolitan Police, had wanted Tasers to be available to officers by the end of the year.

But the introduction of the guns, which would need final approval from individual chief constables, is still thought to be a long way off.

Civil rights groups, such as Amnesty International, have expressed concern about the use of Tasers.

But police say they could provide a safe option to tackling a rising number of incidents in which officers are confronted by offenders carrying swords or knives.

The importance of finding a non-lethal alternative to guns has been highlighted in a number of recent incidents across the country.

These have included the shooting dead of mentally ill Andrew Kernan, from Liverpool, who ignored calls to drop a samurai sword he was brandishing