Police threatened to use Tasers on 33 children and teenagers in West Yorkshire in the last two years.

And the controversial devices - which can deliver up to 50,000-volt shock to temporarily incapacitate a target - were fired on two children under 18 in Kirklees last year.

The West Yorkshire Police figures, released under the Freedom of Information Act, showed Taser deployment on children has risen from 13 in 2013 to 20 last year.

Deployment covers all stages of police Taser involvement which can range from drawing of the device, red dotting, arching and firing.

The breakdown of the figures shows in 2013 the devices were deployed on children in Kirklees four times but not fired, but in 2014 they were deployed five times and fired twice.

In Calderdale they were deployed twice both years but not fired.

Force-wide the youngest person threatened with Taser use was a 10-year-old boy who was armed with a knife and threatening self-harm.

In this instance the device was used to dispense the ‘red dot’ laser and not fired.

West Yorkshire Police Disclosure Officer Rebecca Fawcett said in response to the FOI: “Deploying a Taser does not mean it has been used to disable the person targeted.

“Most incidents end with officers using the red dot, which allows negotiation between them and the suspects and most people are compliant. Each Taser deployment against a juvenile is examined afterwards and scrutinised.

“The majority of the incidents involved juveniles in possession of weapons and who had used violent or threating behaviour towards others.”

Forces nationally have come under scrutiny for police use of the the devices on both adults and children and calls have been made for a ban of use after two adult deaths during deployment.

The Children’s Rights Alliance has called for further research into the impact of using Tasers on children, saying even when Tasers are not actually fired or used in “drive stun” mode (which causes pain but not incapacity), the threat of a police officer drawing a weapon is likely to be extremely disturbing for children and young people.