Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the protection available to police officers who are not trained in the use of stun guns.

The Government is clear that police officers should have the best possible protection when facing the physical violence that is sometimes directed against them. Decisions about the selection and purchase of police equipment are primarily for chief officers of police. The Government’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory provides scientific and technical advice to support the police, including the development and management of protective equipment standards, such as body armour and personal defence sprays.