WE ARE not used to the idea of police carrying weapons in this country.

In fact, it is a reason for pride that for the most part, they don’t need to. Tasers are, therefore, a source of uneasiness to some.

Almost 300 North Yorkshire officers are qualified to carry them, for use in violent or dangerous situations, or where members of the public or officers themselves are at risk.

In 2013, the most recent year for which figures are available, they were used 144 times.

In many of those cases, they were simply “red-dotted” – produced as a warning. But in York alone they were used to actually incapacitate people on 16 occasions.

There are risks with using tasers. It is perhaps a sad reflection on our times that police feel they need to use them. But police officers are very much in the front line. And as we saw just this week in Paris, theirs is a dangerous job.

Allowing police to use tasers may rankle with some. But it is surely far better than arming them with guns.