The death of a 34-year-old man in a police shooting in Launceston on Tuesday is again igniting debate over arming front-line officers with Tasers.
The knife-wielding Launceston man was shot and later died after police tried to disarm him using pepper spray.
Tasmanian is the only jurisdiction where front-line officers don’t have Tasers. The state’s Special Operations Group is equipped with the devices and authorised to use them in certain circumstances.
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Premier Jeremy Rockliff says expanding their use to include regular officers is being discussed.
“We will listen to police,” he said.
“We want to make sure our officers have the right equipment to do their job and to keep Tasmanians safe.”
