A police report on the use of Tasers found that Staffordshire force - which is now being investigated following the death of a Huddersfield man - had the highest Taser use in the country last year.

In July, data published by the Independent Police Complaints Commission revealed that Staffordshire police used Tasers more than any other force, with shots being fired 33 times per 100 officers.

And the death of Adrian McDonald, of Dalton, is the second death following police use of a Taser in two months.

Adrian died shortly after being shot with a Taser by officers responding to a reported break-in at a house in Staffordshire, in the early hours of Monday morning.

His death is now being investigated by the IPCC.

Staffordshire Police said Adrian “became unresponsive” and despite the efforts of paramedics died a short time later after the incident in Newcastle-Under-Lyme

Matthew Williams died after he was Tasered following an attack on a young woman in a bedroom at a hostel for homeless people in Caerphilly, South Wales.

In Staffordshire, a follow-up review by the force found that Tasers were discharged 71 times out of 619 times they were deployed, with a police spokesman insisting this was “one of the lowest rates” in the country.

Staffordshire Police and Crime Commisioner Matthew Ellis said it was “important to understand the context of use of Taser.

Taser stun gun
Taser stun gun

“Police officers use the Taser very effectively from a preventative point of view so although the number of times it’s taken from the holster is quite high, the number of times it is actually shot or fired is very low indeed.”

He also pointed out Staffordshire Police has rolled out body cameras to all officers.

“I’m hopeful and confident the footage from body-cams from this tragic incident today may be very useful indeed,” said Mr Ellis.

National official figures released in October showed that in the first half of this year Tasers were used on 5,107 occasions.

More than eight in 10 (81%) involved situations where the weapon was not actually discharged.

The number of instances of Taser use by police forces in England and Wales rose from 3,128 to 10,380 between 2009 and 2013, the figures showed.

A Taser is described as an electroshock weapon which fires two small dart-like electrodes, which stay connected to the main unit by conductors, to deliver electrical current to the victim. Police forces use them to stop potentially violent people.