Following the murder of a political assistant in Lodz in October last year, Parliamentary Guards are to be equipped with Taser stun-guns.

The move to introduce the electroshock weapons was taken by Parliamentary Speaker Grzegorz Schetyna, who wants to update a bill on ‘direct force’, which regulates procedures which may be applied by the BOR government security agency, including the Parliamentary Guard.

The Rzeczpospolita daily reveals that 120,000 zloty (30,000 euro) has been set aside for the weapons to be used by Parliamentary Guards.

The bill will allow for the use of Tasers if “all other means fail” in attempts to resist attack, to overcome active resistance during arrest or even during a chase of an individual suspected of committing a crime.

Bartosz Arlukowicz, an MP for the Democratic Left Alliance believes the move is far-fetched. “I think that instead of electro-shockers a little goodwill is entirely sufficient,” Arlukowicz told Rzeczpospolita, adding that there have been cases of misuse of Tasers which have ended in death.

In October 2007, Canadian police stunned Robert Dziekanski, a Polish citizen who was travelling to see his mother. The 44-year-old man died as a result, causing controversy over the weapon’s use. (jb)