The NSW government will tighten police procedures for Taser stun gun use after the state Ombudsman called for a ban on using the weapons in non-threatening situations.
NSW Ombudsman Bruce Barbour said in an annual report that Tasers should not be used as a compliance tool against individuals offering passive resistance.
In response, Police Minister Michael Daly said he and Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione have agreed standard operating procedures would be amended.
The operating procedures would instruct front-line officers not to use the weapon to resolve non-threatening situations, bringing them into line with current police training on Taser use, he said.
Mr Daly said there was no doubt Tasers were a serious piece of equipment that could have serious consequences.
"We need to ensure all the appropriate safeguards are in place regarding their use," he said in a statement on Wednesday.
"I am confident that police are appropriately trained in the use of Tasers.
"This amendment will simply leave no doubt in their minds that Tasers are to be used as a last resort and that they are no substitute for using negotiation and conflict resolution skills."
Mr Barbour said in his 2009/10 annual report, released earlier on Wednesday, that NSW police officers were given too much discretion when it comes to the use of Tasers.
He repeated a call for standard operating procedures for Tasers to be tightened to ensure they were used only in situations where a person was violently confronting or resisting arrest.
