A NORTH-East police force is hoping to have trained officers carrying 50,000-volt stun weapons to tackle armed criminals.

Cleveland Police are trying to secure funding to buy the taser guns, which fire needle-tipped darts to deliver a powerful disabling shock.

Assistant Chief Constable Adam Briggs said the force was looking at different ways of funding the 'less lethal' weapons.

Mr Briggs said: "We are seeking financial funding to obtain the taser guns. Hopefully, if we get the money we will be able to purchase them by the autumn."

He added: "We have had one firearms instructor trained to use the taser but we have yet to start any training with other officers."

Chris Pendlington, chairman of the Cleveland Police Federation, said officers would support the initiative.

He said: "We welcome the move as a positive step because it is a less lethal option we can take rather than shooting someone as a last resort."

However, the Northumbria force looks likely to be the first in the region to be actively using the stun weapons when they begin carrying them later this year.

A spokesman said: "We are currently training our officers in the use of the taser and we expect to be using them later this year as we regard them as a less lethal option than other methods."

Last September, former Home Secretary David Blunkett said tasers were to be authorised for police firearms officers across England and Wales after a successful trial in five pilot forces.

Two national surveys by the Police Review magazine have revealed that 61 per cent of the North-East public and 80 per cent of frontline officers want to see the weapons routinely issued to officers on patrol.

However, Amnesty International has expressed concern about the use of tasers following a number of deaths in the US and Canada linked to the devices.