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Right: The notorious 1997 incident on Bondi Beach in which Roni Levy, a mentally ill Frenchman with a knife, was shot dead by police. Would the use of Tasers have led to a different outcome?

Arguments against the general issue of taser guns to Australian police

1.  Taser guns are a dangerous, potentially lethal, weapon
Amnesty International has documented over 245 deaths that occurred after the use of Tasers.
Angela Wright, a United States researcher for Amnesty International has stated, 'Tasers are not the "non-lethal" weapons they are portrayed to be.  They can kill and should only be used as a last resort.'
Amnesty International Canada and other civil liberties organizations have argued that a moratorium should be placed on Taser use until research can determine a way for them to be safely used.
A number of studies have investigated the potential dangers of Taser use. They have included examination of incident records, limited human testing, and experimental studies on pigs. Although tests on police and military volunteers have shown Tasers to function appropriately on a healthy, calm individual in a relaxed and controlled environment, Amnesty International says that they 'do not take into account real life use of Tasers by law enforcement agencies, such as repeated or prolonged shocks and the use of restraints'.
Tasers have been scrutinised in Canada after national media coverage of the death in 2007 of Robert Dzieka?ski, a Polish immigrant, after being tasered five times by a Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer at the Vancouver International Airport.  As a result several official reviews of Taser safety are underway in Canada and two police forces have put large orders of the device on hold.
Recent independently-funded animal studies have found that the use of these kinds of electro-shock weapons can cause fatal arrhythmias in pigs, raising further questions about their safety on human subjects. It was also recently reported that nearly ten per cent of 41 Tasers tested in a study commissioned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, delivered significantly more current than the manufacturer said was possible, underscoring the need for independent verification and testing of such devices.
There have also been deaths associated with tasers in Australia.  On November 18, 2009, a New South Wales man, armed with a knife and threatening self-harm, died after having been shot with a taser gun by a New South Wales female police officer. Prior to this, in June 2009, a 29-year-old man died after being shot with a taser gun by a member of the Queensland police force.  There have been  two earlier deaths in Australia resulting from taser use.

2.  Taser guns are used inappropriately
Angela Wright, a United States researcher for Amnesty International has stated,'The problem with Tasers is that they are inherently open to abuse, as they are easy to carry and easy to use and can inflict severe pain at the push of a button, without leaving substantial marks.'
Thus Amnesty International has claimed that they have on occasion been used as a form of torture to force compliance from people.
In March 2008, an 11-year-old girl with a learning disability was shocked with a Taser after she punched a police officer in the face. The officer had been called to the school in Orange County, Florida, after the child had become disturbed, pushing desks and chairs and spitting at staff.
It has further been claimed that tasers have been used on individuals who constituted no danger to law enforcement officers and that such use has resulted in deaths.
An Amnesty International's study - which includes information from 98 autopsies - found that 90 per cent of those who died after being struck with a Taser were unarmed and many did not appear to present a serious threat.
Many were subjected to repeated or prolonged shocks - far more than the five-second 'standard' cycle - or by more than one officer at a time. Some people were even shocked for failing to comply with police commands after they had been incapacitated by a first shock.
New South Wales Civil Liberties Council president, Cameron Murphy, has stated,  'We have had people who have been seriously injured, we have had people who have died from the use of these weapons and they simply haven't been used appropriately given the circumstances.'
On July 2, 2009, a report into Queensland Police's 12-month trial of Tasers identified 'Taser creep' and over-reliance as key risks associated with the controversial weapons.
'Taser creep', as defined in the report, is the risk that, over time, the devices 'begin to be used in situations beyond their intended use'. Queensland Police Commissioner, Bob Atkinson, has said he was concerned about officers' tendency to rely on the Taser as a 'weapon of choice' rather than properly considering the alternatives.
In Australia there are a number of prominent incidents that have come to the public's attention which appear to be a clear misuse of tasers.
In Brisbane on 11 August 2007, Nathan Cook was reportedly tased three times while he was
handcuffed.  In Brisbane on 11 April 2008, a 16 year old girl defied a move-on order and was sitting
down in a garden bed waiting for an ambulance to treat her sick friend. She was then reportedly held down by two security guards while an officer shot her in the thigh with a taser and arrested her. In Sydney on Sunday 29 March 2009 reportedly a 38-year-old man was tased twice by a police officer on Oxford Street, when it appears from a closed-circuit video camera that he was complying with instructions from the officer to get off the road and onto the footpath.

3.  Taser gun use training is inadequate
It has been claimed that police are given inadequate training in the use of tasers. The Queensland Police are required successfully to complete an online exam about policy, procedures and technical aspects relating to the taser before undertaking a one-day workshop.  The one-day workshop represents eight hours training which critics claim is completely inadequate when dealing with a weapon that can cause death and which police officers both in Australia and overseas appear to use inappropriately and increasingly.
Mr Tery O'Gorman, president of the Australian Council for Civil Liberties and a lawyer, has claimed that training in taser has been exposed as deficient.
Mr O'Gorman has stated, 'The increasing misuse of tasers show the training and auditing is insufficient. I don't think that amount of training is adequate - the whole rollout, including the Crime and Misconduct Commission expressing dissatisfaction with the way it was rolled out indicate it has been bungled from the beginning.'

4.  Taser gun use tends to displace other more proactive, less dangerous procedures
A twelve-month trial of tasers by the Queensland Police Force has suggested that increasing use of tasers occurred and that their use sometimes displaced other, less violent means of dealing with distressed and/or potentially dangerous people.
Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson said he was concerned about officers' tendency to rely on the Taser as a 'weapon of choice' rather than properly considering the alternatives.  Police Commissioner Atkinson has further stated, 'Rather than use verbal communication skills or handcuffs or some minor physical engagement they might use a Taser so police come to rely on it more than they need too, over time.'
The Victorian Office of Police Integrity's 'Review of the fatal shootings by Victoria Police' recommended that Victoria Police can and should seek to avoid and minimise use of force by applying their own ten Operational Safety Principles, currently included in the Victoria
Police Manual.
The findings of this review include a reemphasis on training in tactical communication skills rather than equipment and a focus on making sure police have the crucial skills to identify and take appropriate action when someone may have a mental health problem.
It has further been claimed that police are the only mobile 24 hour crisis intervention service and that they are demanded to act in ways far beyond their training and skills in dealing with people in mental health crises. Not only must police be adequately trained but they must also have appropriate support in order to deal with these complex crisis situations, by acting in tandem with mental health
professionals and not with tasers.

5.  Tasers are not a suitable weapon in many circumstances
It has been claimed that the effectiveness of taser guns for defusing hazardous situations is actually quite limited, especially as they generally have to be used at close quarters.  
Victoria's Chief Commissioner, Simon Overland, told the Melbourne Press Club, 'You've actually got to be quite close to someone before it (a Taser) can work. If you've got a homicidal maniac with an axe running at you and you're relying on this thing and it doesn't work, you're dead.'
It has also been claimed that Tasers are not a suitable weapon to use against people with a variety of pre-existing medical conditions.
There is an emerging body of evidence that people with existing heart conditions, people who are drug and alcohol affected, the young and the elderly, pregnant women, the mentally ill and others are at significantly greater risk of serious injury or death from Taser. It has been suggested that given that it can be difficult to determine if someone has a heart condition or is drug- or alcohol-effected tasers are not a suitable weapon to be in general use.
Despite this tasers are disproportionately used against people with mental health problems. During taser trials in New Zealand, tasers were used in fifty percent of mental health call-outs, according to an analysis by the New Zealand College of Mental Health Nurses. The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists has urged wider consultation with the mental health sector before the introduction of tasers.
New Zealand Mental Health Foundation chief executive, Judi Clements, told the New Zealand Herald in August 2008, 'The risks posed to people taking prescribed medication for mental illness are unknown, as are the long-term effects of Taser use. The use of Tasers in mental health emergencies needs to be fully investigated before this weapon is sanctioned for use on the general public.'